Shades of gray Story 2
by AstridWinchester
Summary: <html><head></head>Summary: Sequel to I only have eyes for you, crosses Becoming part 2 with Supernatural Story two of my series, A light in the darkness.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A call from a friend**

**A/N: This story crosses with Becoming part 2, and before Anne. **  
><strong>Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, I'm sad to say. They belong to Whedon and Kripke, I only wish they were mine haha. Enjoy!<strong>

Dean checked his cell for what seemed like the millionth time, keeping one eye on the road. He was hoping to hear from a certain blonde-haired Slayer, as he hadn't been able to reach her in over a week. Not since he and Sam had put the town of Sunnydale, and her, in their rear view mirror. It didn't help that they missed each other's calls or that Sam would ask him if he'd heard from her yet.  
>Neither he nor Sam had wanted to split town, especially with Angelus, Spike and Drusilla still at large. But their dad had given Dean a set of co-ordinates, and both knew it would do no good to argue.<br>He was worried about Buffy, and hadn't been that focused on the job, which had cost him. Dean shifted in his seat, wincing sharply in pain as he agitated his cracked ribs. He had a few new scars to add to his collection, as did Sam, but the werewolf they'd turned out to be hunting in Phoenix had introduced him rather painfully to the trunk of a very big tree.  
>Dean glanced in the rear view mirror at Sam, who was stretched out in the backseat, sound asleep, oblivious to everything. Usually he would've woken his brother, in favor of pissing him off and of having company, even if said company was bitching about his choice of music or the fact that he was awake period.<br>Dean liked having Sam with him, and he knew that Sam was better off with him than in John's company, when the two fought all the time. Sam had been up late a lot of nights in the last week, researching or instant messaging and e-mailing Willow so he decided to let him get some sleep just this once.  
>He noticed that the gas gauge was nearing E and turned off onto an exit ramp, pulling up at a gas station a moment later. He shut the engine of his beloved Impala off, got out and slipped the keys into his pocket, and then headed into the quick-mart to get two coffees and pay for the gas. When he opened the car door again to put the hot drinks into the cup-holders, the blinking screen of his cell phone greeted him, saying he had a missed call.<br>He swore silently and grabbed it, shutting the door with a groan and flipped it open, only to swear again when he saw that it'd been Buffy who'd tried to reach him. He pressed the call button to listen to the voicemail, still swearing under his breath, and pumped the gas into the tank with the other hand, keeping an eye on the meter.  
>"Dean, its Buffy," he heard her voice say, then silence before she continued, "I need you." That was all he needed to hear, he and Sam were heading back to Sunnydale.<br>**A/N: kinda short but the next chapter will be longer!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Homecoming**

**A/N: Well here's chapter 2 in the sequel, it's got a little bit of fluff in it. I would have had it up last night but I had to run to Walmart and sleep lol so it's up now. The characters are still not mine but Whedon and Kripke's**

"Dean, what's going on?" Asked a very groggy Sam, who'd just been woken by Dean throwing an empty bottle into the backseat in his brother's general direction.

"We're just outside of Sunnydale and I want you to call Buffy," He answered, digging into his pocket for his cell phone and handing it to Sam. "Tell her we're about two miles from town, but that we're going to get a hotel room first and then hand it back to me. Got that?"

Sam nodded, found Buffy's number in the contact list, and pressed the green Call button, and waited for it to ring. "Buffy?" He asked when she picked up, then smiled at her familiar voice.

"No, it's Sam." He listened for a moment, and then continued, "Yeah, we're almost there. Dean said we're about two miles out but that he wants to get a hotel room first." He listened to her reply, "I'll see you tomorrow okay?" He said, glancing at Dean, who nodded in confirmation. He handed the phone back to his brother and sat back.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sam grunted in thanks as Dean handed him a hot cup of coffee. He'd been up late the night before talking to Willow and had slept through most of the day as it was now just getting dark.

He'd been surprised to hear that Buffy had finally called Dean the day before, but not at all surprised when Dean had gotten onto the highway that lead to Sunnydale. He knew his brother had been worried about Buffy, had seen him glance at his cell a bunch of times, or snap it shut, growling in frustration when he got her voicemail. He'd been concerned too, but he at least had Willow to talk to and e-mail him about all the happenings on in the week they'd been gone, including a very strange story about the swim team. She'd been pleased when he'd told her the night before that he and Dean were on their way back.

He tuned back into his brother's conversation, sipping his coffee slowly so he didn't burn his tongue on the hot liquid.

"Yeah, I'm going to get a hotel room for Sam and me, and then I'll meet you at the cemetery." He frowned at her reply, "No, it's fine Buffy, I slept earlier, Sam can hold down the fort for a little while till I get back."

In truth, Dean was eager to see her again, to reassure himself that her message hadn't meant something bad, and that she was in fact okay and in one piece. He wasn't about to admit it to her though, nor the fact that he actually hadn't slept but had driven most of the night, stopping only once on the side of an abandoned road to get an hour or two of rest before going again. He also had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had seen her, another thing he wasn't about to say.

After making plans to meet up in one of the cemeteries near the hotel that he would be getting a room at, he disconnected. He still didn't know why she'd called him, why she'd said she needed him, her message hadn't explained. But Sam had mentioned some kind of discovery the town's people had unearthed, that he and Willow had been researching. He really didn't care about this giant rock, he just wanted to get to Sunnydale, and see her again. Anything else could wait as far as he was concerned.

A few minutes later they pulled into the parking space outside the room number 6. Dean had gone in to charm the young receptionist, not only getting a decent low rate, but her number as well.

The boys unloaded their belongings from the Impala in silence; both had other things on their minds. Dean tossed his bag on one of the two beds, and then rummaged through it for a change of clothes. Sam headed straight for the bathroom since he knew his older brother would want a shower first thing before going to find Buffy, which would give him time to do more research. He stopped to put his own bag on the other bed, toeing off his shoes and draping his jacket on the bed.

Dean jumped into the shower when Sam finished, hearing thumps as Sam nailed a few crosses to the wall and above the door as a precaution. Hotels were public accommodation, which meant vampires could enter without an invitation, but Willow had sent Sam a spell in Latin that he could use to keep them out.

Dean looked into the bathroom mirror, deciding a shave could wait until tomorrow and dressed in his usual jeans and Metallica shirt, and then opened the bathroom door to find a familiar sight: Sam on his laptop, typing furiously, his face bathed in the soft glow of the screen.

"Don't forget to lock it and do the salt line, Sammy." He told him, loading up with a stake and his gun. He really didn't need to tell him that but when Sam got going on research he tended to forget.

"I know, Dean."

"Good, I'll be back in a few hours, you know what to do and the code to check that it's me?" Sam nodded, setting his computer aside and grabbing the salt after he left, as he'd been trained. He didn't really like being a hunter and he and his dad argued about it almost every time they talked, but he knew what to do.

Dean found Buffy ten minutes later, after stopping at a gas station to get her a latte, and him a soda, which he knew she'd appreciate. He'd had enough coffee to tide him over for a while, at least until he'd seen her and found out what her voice mail was about. After he was satisfied with both those things, he'd drop her off at her place, and then go back to the hotel and crash.

She was fighting some typical fledgling vampire, and he stopped to watch her as he'd once before. She moved with precision and deadly grace, and it never failed to amaze him when he watched her. He leaned against the side of a mausoleum, ironically the one he'd been thrown into the night he'd discovered who she really was. She almost seemed to dance as she ducked and punched, staking the vampire not a moment later. He applauded, smirking warmly as she turned at the noise.

"Very nice, Princess," He drawled, pleased to see her smile in return.

She hugged him tightly, then grinned even wider as he handed her the latte, taking a grateful sip. The two friends fell into step, both talking about their recent adventures. Dean laughed about the swim team, almost crying at the image of Xander in a swimsuit. He told her about the werewolf, shrugging off her concern over his bruises.

He found he'd missed her a lot, and all the stress eased away as the two laughed and caught up. He drank in the sound of her laugh, the twinkle in her green eyes as she looked back at him, at the sight of her happy smile, enjoying every second of her presence. There were no demons, no vampire ex-boyfriends, no hunts, no prophecies; nothing existed other than her and him in that moment together.

He walked her to the Impala, still talking, and he drove towards her house once they were in and buckled. She hesitated as he pulled to a stop alongside the curb in front of the house, and then turned in her seat to face him. He reached out with one hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, and then ran his knuckles against her cheek, his touch tender.

"I'm glad you're here." She said. Her voice was filled with gratitude, she wanted to ask him to come inside and stay, but knew Sam would be waiting for him at the hotel.

"Me too princess," He replied, and meant it. He was silent for a moment, and then asked a little uncertainly, "Buffy, do you want to tell me about your voicemail message?"

She shook her head, "Not tonight, tonight is a night for reunions, I'll talk about it with you and Sam tomorrow okay?" She almost pleaded with him, and he nodded in assent, still watching her.

"Dean..." she began, unsure how to phrase exactly what she wanted to say, "Would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight? My mom is out of town for the gallery, and I've really missed you and Sam, and it's ok if you say no... I just don't really want to be alone and-"

Belatedly she realized she was babbling, but Dean stopped her flow of words by leaning forward and kissing her. She kissed him back, lost in the sweetness and the feel of him against her.

"Sure, but I'm too beat to do anything else but sleep, ya hear?" he answered roughly once they pulled apart. He was glad she'd said something, as he really hadn't wanted to leave her just yet, but knew she wasn't ready for anything more than a few kisses with him, not after what he knew had happened with Angel. She'd just beaten him to the punch by asking was all. She nodded, and with that he pulled away from the curb and towards the hotel.

They reached the hotel shortly, and Buffy slipped her hand into his once they got out and followed him to the room when he reached her side. Dean knocked on the number 6, said his and Sam's code phrase and waited for the younger Winchester to open the door and break the salt line so as to allow them entrance.

Sam pulled Buffy into a tight hug, smiling at her in greeting, which she returned, then stood back to let them in. He redid the salt line as she and Dean shrugged off their jackets and out of their shoes, then shut the light off and laid down on one of the beds, turning to face the wall to give them a little privacy.

She'd have to thank him for that in the morning, she decided as she slid under the covers beside Dean. _Tomorrow I'll be the Slayer,_ she thought to herself as he slipped an arm around her and curled her against his warm body. _Tonight I'm just a normal girl._ She smiled contently, and rested her head on his chest, feeling his heart beat under her ear, and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The truth in the song**

**A/N: I was browsing Youtube and came across the song and I just had to use it. *dances to song on repeat* Anyway...Characters don't belong to me, and the song is 'Falling in' by Lifehouse. Enjoy!**

When Buffy woke the next day, she noticed that Sam's bed was empty, and figured he'd gone to get food and coffee, so she smiled and snuggled closer into Dean's warm embrace. She turned over reached a hand out to trace the beginnings of a five-o'clock shadow on his jaw.

She'd dreamed of being with him every night since they'd left, and it made her feel not as alone to know that it'd only taken a phone call to bring him back. That he'd turned around and had come to see her again, she knew it was because he'd been worried, and felt bad that she hadn't kept in touch better, but what with Angelus, Spike, and Dru and the swim team thing; she had constantly missed him and he her.

The clock radio going off startled her, and her slight jump made his eyes open to look at her. She smiled to assure him that there were no threats, just the breaking of silence that she hadn't expected and he smiled back groggily.

He'd slept better than he had since the last time she'd been curled against him when she'd told him about dying. She leaned closer and kissed his nose and lips, and he pressed a hand to the small of her back, kissing her back. The radio had started playing a song that he barely noticed, but the words to it stuck in his mind as he released all of the tension he'd felt when he hadn't heard her voice in the last week.

_**'Every time I see your face **__  
><em>_**my heart takes off on a high speed chase. **__  
><em>_**Now don't be scared, it's only love **__  
><em>_**baby that we're falling in.**___

_**I can't wait to tomorrow, **__  
><em>_**this feeling has swallowed me whole **__  
><em>_**and know that I've lost control. **__  
><em>_**This heart that I've followed **__  
><em>_**has left me so hollow, **__  
><em>_**that was then, this is now**__  
><em>_**yeah, you have changed everything.'**_

Buffy moved on top of him to straddle his hips on the bed and he stopped kissing her long enough to tangle a hand in her hair, looking deep into her eyes. He wondered if she too was listening to the song, or had any idea what thoughts were spinning around in his head, the words he couldn't quite say.

Buffy smiled and kissed his wrist, then bent forward to kiss him again, and he warred with the impulse to be tender over his usual gruff passion. He always seemed to get lost in the moment with her, where nothing mattered. He forgot everything around him, didn't even care that he couldn't hear Sammy in the adjacent bed or the room.

_**'Every time I see your face **__  
><em>_**my heart takes off on a high speed chase. **__  
><em>_**Now don't be scared, it's only love **__  
><em>_**that we're falling in.**___

_**I would never do you wrong **__  
><em>_**or let you down or lead you on.**__  
><em>_**Don't look down, it's only love **__  
><em>_**baby that we're falling in.**___

_**I'm standing in your driveway **__  
><em>_**it's midnight and I'm sideways, **__  
><em>_**to find out if you feel the same. **__  
><em>_**Won't be easy, have my doubts too **__  
><em>_**but it's over, without you I'm just lost, incomplete **__  
><em>_**yeah, you feel like home, home to me.'**_

Buffy didn't know who was singing the song on the radio, but could tell he was as moved by the words as she was, and could feel it in the way his kisses became gentler, and the desperate way he held her, as if she'd disappear from his arms.

Dean rolled her over onto her back and trailed kisses along her neck, one thumb rubbing her hip in light circles. His touch was intoxicating, and his kisses stole the breath from her lungs. She knew he wouldn't push her farther than she was ready to go, and for that she was grateful. They both were as lost in the music playing in the background as in each other, and it felt glorious.

_**'Every time I see your face **__  
><em>_**my heart takes off on a high speed chase, **__  
><em>_**Now don't be scared, it's only love**__  
><em>_**that we're falling in.**___

_**I would never do you wrong **__  
><em>_**or let you down or lead you on. **__  
><em>_**Don't look down, it's only love **__  
><em>_**baby, that we're falling in.'**_

Dean felt Buffy shudder under his touch and it took all of his control to not kiss her in other places, the way he'd dreamed and fantasized of doing since the moment he'd seen her in the hallway weeks ago.

The fact that this was Buffy he was touching and holding whispered to him, and that she wasn't just some girl he could kiss and touch and hold and never see again. No, she was special. He was aware of the sinking feeling he got when her eyes met his, when her smile made his heart skip a beat. He was quickly losing his footing, and knew that he was falling for her, and it didn't even scare him.

_**'All those nights I stayed away **__  
><em>_**Thinking of all the ways to make you mine. **__  
><em>_**All of those smiles will never fade **__  
><em>_**never run out of ways to blow my mind.'**___

_**Every time I see your face **__  
><em>_**my heart takes off on a high speed chase. **__  
><em>_**Now don't be scared, it's only love**__  
><em>_**that we're falling in.**___

_**I would never do you wrong **__  
><em>_**or let you down or lead you on. **__  
><em>_**Don't look down, it's only love **__  
><em>_**baby, that we're falling in.' **_

They finally pulled away and she looked up at him, running her nails through his hair as she smiled. She felt like something had changed between them, but wasn't 100% sure she knew what. She could see the emotions swirling in his eyes as he looked back at her, and what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. He was falling for her. She wasn't prepared for the realization, and she didn't know how to handle the way it made her feel.

Dean saw the way her eyes widened slightly and he knew that his eyes had betrayed him, because she caught her lip and worried it. He wasn't sure what she was feeling but knew better than to ask, and he pulled away to change his clothes and shower. As soon as he wasn't touching her though, he felt like a part of him was missing, and he swore inwardly. Dean Winchester was falling in love? That was not supposed to happen, dammit!

No sooner did they separate from each other and had Dean disappeared into the bathroom, did Sam come in the door, holding a drink-carrier of 3 drinks and a bag of burgers. He heard the shower running and saw Buffy sitting in the empty bed, staring at the door. She turned at his entrance, was even aware that he'd spoken to her, but her mind was in a dizzy fog. Did she really see what she thought she had? And why was she so afraid if that was the case? She shook herself out of her confusing thoughts and focused on Sam.

"Buffy, you okay?" He asked, seeing the mixed emotions enter her eyes, and the fact that she hadn't answered his greeting. She merely nodded and he handed her one of the coffee's he'd brought, deciding to ask her later what was up.

"Yeah, I'm good. What time is it?" She asked, drinking the coffee and sighing at the welcome taste. It was a school day and she was pretty sure she'd missed classes, but she really didn't care.

"It's almost 4 in the afternoon; I got up a few hours ago to get something to eat."

Dean exited the bathroom in just a towel, shuffled over to his duffel that he picked up off the floor and put on the bed, rummaging through it for some clean clothes. It was past time to do laundry, it seemed. He practically heard Buffy's gulp as she stared openly at his damp chest and he met her gaze, allowing his smirk to cross his face. She felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him, and tried to tear her gaze away, feeling herself blush. She'd felt his chest against her when she'd slept sure, but she didn't know he looked like **that!**

He took the clothes and his shaving kit back into the bathroom to change into and to fix himself up, still chuckling at the way she'd stared at him. The sounds of the two talking were muffled in the bathroom, but he took his time; it'd been a while since Sam had seen her too.

Besides, it allowed him more time to think about what he'd just realized about her, about the two of them. He had been aware that his feelings for her were unlike anything he'd felt in a while, if ever. She had been with Angel though, he reminded himself, which meant he'd need to tread lightly.

He wasn't ready to say the words she already knew he felt, and she obviously wasn't ready to receive them. So he'd wait. He'd find out what she wasn't willing to talk about last night, and then he'd wait for the moment when she'd be able to hear the words without bailing. He could afford to wait, because she was most definitely worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Making with the 'splainy**

**A/N: Characters are not mine, as always *tear***

**A/N2: Another thing, I know in the episode everything with the torturing and the deal with Spike was supposed to happen in the same night but I pushed it back a day.**

Buffy thought back on all that had happened in the last few hours while she ate: Kendra's death at Dru's hand, Angelus' trap, Willow being hurt and in the hospital, Giles missing. She'd needed help; she'd needed Dean and Sam.

Dean watched her expectantly, waiting for her to make with the 'splainy and tell them everything. So she did, starting with Kendra's appearance and Willow's attempt at restoring Angel's soul, she told them about the flame-o-gram she'd gotten, how it was a trap. She told them about Willow being in the hospital, and that Giles was missing. By the time she finished, it was getting dark and Dean stood to grab his weapons, preparing to have a run-in with Angelus. He saw Sam doing the same and went over to him and grabbed the gun from his hand, unloaded it and handed it back to him.

"What'd you do that for?" Sam demanded, as Buffy got ready.

"You're not going." He stated, grabbing the keys and some more crosses.

"Yes I am Dean, you guys need help."

"No, you're damn well not. I told dad you'd be safe, and that means you stay here." He argued, and Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Dean glared at him. "I'm not risking you Sammy, so just stay here and keep quiet."

Sam clenched his jaw and fists angrily, Willow and Buffy were his friends too! Buffy looked at him pleadingly, and he let some of it melt off.

"Sam you know I'm glad you're here, but Dean's right, Angelus could come after you next and I couldn't bear it if something happened to you too. Please just stay?" She asked him softly, and he gave a reluctant nod.

Dean nodded, and headed out, Buffy followed after another hug with Sam. She climbed in on the passenger's side and gave Dean directions to Giles' house. She got out and strode up to the door, Dean behind her. The door was ajar, and they exchanged a look, Dean tightened his grip on his stake and they both went in.

"Giles! Giles!" She called, even though she doubted he'd answer. Dean looked around and cocked his gun. She turned to see Whistler coming down the stairs from the loft.

"I don't think he's here." He said, eyes flitting from her to Dean's gun that he was aiming straight at him.

"Who are you?" Buffy demanded.

"Whistler."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for you," Whistler said as he reached the end of the stairs.

"Why?" Dean asked and Buffy looked expectantly at Whistler, waiting for the answer.

"'Cause I-I-I need a date to the prom."

Buffy was _not _in the mood for jokes, so she took the two steps over to him, grabbed him by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. Dean smiled grimly and gave an appreciative whistle.

"I have had a _really _bad couple of days okay? If you have information worth hearing, then I am grateful for it. If you're gonna crack jokes, then I'm gonna pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat." She snarled and let him go, and Dean stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hello to the imagery! Very nice." He got serious, "It wasn't supposed to go down like this." He moved away from the wall, and Dean rested a finger on the trigger in warning. "Nobody saw you coming. I figured this for Angel's big day. But I thought he was here to _stop _Acathla, not to bring him forth. Then you guys made with the smoochies... now he's a creep again. Now, what are you gonna do? W-what are you prepared to do?"

"Whatever I have to," she answered, and Dean rubbed his thumb over her collar softly.

"Maybe I should ask, what are you prepared to give up?" Whistler asked and Dean growled, not liking this direction in conversation.

"You don't have anything useful to tell me, do you?" Buffy exhaled, "What are you, just some immortal demon sent down to even the score between good and evil?"

"Wow. Good guess." Whistler grinned, impressed.

Buffy stepped closer to him, "Well, why don't you try getting off your immortal ass and fighting evil once in a while?"Cause I'm sick and tired of doing it myself."

"In the end, you're always by yourself. You're all you've got. That's the point." He said and Dean growled again.

"Can I shoot him?" He asked Buffy and she fought a smile, she looked at Whistler again, disgusted, and said "Spare me" and they started to leave.

"The sword isn't enough, you gotta be ready." He raised his voice at their retreating backs, "You gotta know how to use it!" She went out the door and slammed it behind her, leaving Dean, who turned and shot Whistler in the leg.

"Come near her or Giles again, and I'll do worse." He warned with a growl and followed Buffy outside.

**Meanwhile at Angelus' mansion: **

Giles is unconscious, lying on the floor, with Angelus facing him and waiting for him to regain consciousness.

"Mm..." Giles stirred a bit and exhaled, "Ohhh..." He lifted his head.

"Hi, Rupert. I wasn't sure you were gonna wake up. You had me worried."Angelus said brightly, hopping to his feet.

Giles stood up slowly, "What do you want?"

"I wanna torture you. I used to love it, and it's been a _long _time. I mean, the last time I tortured somebody, they didn't even _have _chainsaws." He walked past Giles over to Acathla, Giles turned to watch him and his gaze lands on the stone demon with the sword protruding from its chest. Angelus noticed Giles' stare, "Oh, yeah. Acathla. He's an even harder guy to wake up than you are. I mean, I performed the rituals, said all the right phrases... blood on my hand. Got nothing. Big doughnut hole for my troubles. I figure you know the ritual. You're pretty up on these things. You could probably... tell me what I'm doing wrong." He approached Giles, "But honestly, I sorta hope you don't..." He stopped in front of him, "'Cause I *really* wanna torture you." He grinned at Giles evilly.

**At Buffy's house:**

A police officer walked down the stairs to where Detective Stein was questioning Joyce and stood next to him.

"No, I-I-it's impossible. There... there's been some terrible mistake." She argued, not wanting to believe the officer's terrible accusations against Buffy.

"And you have no idea where your daughter is?" Det. Stein asked her.

"She said she was going to her friend Willow's house." Joyce shook her head, "Maybe she slept over."

"Is that Willow Rosenberg?" The Detective clarified, she nodded. "Second victim." He said to the other officer.

"What?" Joyce asked, confused.

"Your daughter has a history of violence. Doesn't she, Ms. Summers?" He nodded for the officer to leave the house, and he does.

"Well..." She hesitated, not wanting to add to their suspicion.

Det. Stein nodded smugly, "You call us." He pulled out his wallet, and dug out a card. "Okay? If she decides to stop by," He gave her the card, "Be best if she just comes in." With that, he exited the house, leaving Joyce very worried and confused.

Buffy walked through the park with her head down, Dean beside her, having left the car at the entrance. As a car drove by, they stepped into the street and watched as the car passed, exhaling softly in relief. When she turned back she saw a police car nearing them, but doesn't run, instead hoping that the officer won't notice her. He did, though, and turned on his light bar, the siren gave a brief loud tone. He pulled the car aside, stopped and got out. Buffy ignored him and kept walking right past the front of the vehicle, but she felt Dean tense as the officer drew his gun.

"Hold it right there!" He commanded them, slamming his door shut, and Buffy spun around to face him. Dean kept his gun in his pocket, not wanting to make the scene worse should he draw it. "Put your hands on your head! Do it!"

She stared at his gun, started to raise her hands, seeing Dean hesitate before reaching for a knife in his belt. Suddenly the gun was kicked out of the officer's hands, and he was kicked in the face and in the shin, then grabbed and thrown onto the hood of his car, where he slumped unconscious. His attacker faced a surprised Buffy and a wary Dean, who pulled his knife, readying it to attack.

"Hello, cutie." Spike addressed her and smiled. He took a step toward Buffy, and she immediately decked him twice in the face. He growled when Dean threw the knife, and it nicked his duster. He grabbed her by the shoulders to restrain her, but she brought her knee up into his gut.

"Now, you hold on a second!" He snarled at them, and then gave her a good shove away from him and into Dean. She regained her balance and reached into her coat to pull out a stake. Spike jumped back and held up his hands in surrender. "Hey! White flag here. I quit."

"Let me clear this up for you. We're mortal enemies. We don't get time-outs." She told him, tossing her hair out of her face and checking Dean out quickly from the corner of her eye, making sure he was alright.

"You want to go a round, pet; I'll have a gay old time of it. You want to stop Angel... we're gonna have to play this a bit differently." He smirked at them, and Dean smirked back at the gay comment.

Buffy stilled, not letting down her guard, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your ex, pet. I'm talking about putting him in the bloody ground."

Buffy chuckled, "This has gotta be the _lamest _trick," She lowered her stake, but Dean didn't. "you guys have ever thought up."

"He's got your Watcher. Right now, he's probably torturing him."

"What do you want?" She demanded, giving Dean a sidelong glance that he returned. She was willing to hear Spike out for the moment, but she knew if he tried anything, Dean would dust his ass before Spike got the chance. Once again she told herself how nice it was to have him back and watching out for her.

"I told you. I want to stop Angel." Spike snickered, "I want to save the world."

"Okay. You do remember that you're a vampire, right?"

"We like to talk big," he indicated himself, "vampires do."I'm going to destroy the world.'" He looked at the officer, "That's just tough guy talk," Spike stepped over to the car as he spoke, Dean followed his movements carefully. "Strutting around with your friends over a pint of blood," He sat on the hood and continued, "the truth is, I like this world." He pulled the cigarette pack from the officer's shirt pocket, "You've got...dog racing, Manchester United," He pulled one out and dropped the pack on the officer, "and you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here."

He exhaled, then lit the cigarette and took a drag, "But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real..." Spike exhaled again, "passion for destruction." He took another drag and looked at Buffy, not bothering to spare a glance at Dean, who still watched him closely. "Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Piccadilly, farewell, Leicester Bloody Square. You know what I'm saying?"

"Okay, fine. You're not down with Angel. Why would you ever come to me?" Buffy nodded.

Spike stood and took another drag, but didn't look at her this time, "I want Dru back. I want it like it was before he came back. The way she acts around him..."

"You're pathetic," Buffy spat, and Dean smirked his agreement.

Enraged, Spike punched her in the face, and she punched him right back, Dean was about to attack but she put a hand on his arm, stilling him. "I lost a friend last night!"

"I wasn't in on that raiding party," he argued, but she ignored him.

"And I may lose more! The whole earth may be sucked into Hell, and you want my help 'cause your girlfriend's a big ho? Well, let me take this opportunity to _not _care. C'mon Dean, let's go."

"I can't fight them both alone, and neither can you!" He yelled at her as she turned to go. Buffy punched him hard in the jaw, making him flinch. He straightened back up and felt his jaw, checking for blood.

"I hate you," She growled.

"And I'm all you've got," He tossed back. The police officer began to stir on the hood of the car, and she looked down briefly, "All right, talk."

Spike turned to the officer, "I'm just gonna kill this guy." Buffy cleared her throat loudly, and Spike faced her. "Oh, right."

Buffy raised her eyebrows at him, and looked over at Dean, who looked furious but said nothing. "Let's get inside." They left as the police officer began to wake up and felt his head, Spike and Buffy not tearing their eyes from each other distrustfully and Dean following behind in angry silence.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Alliances & Arguments**

**A/N: I'm trying to get this one out so I can get the rest of the series out but this one has a few chapters to go, so here's the next! Characters aren't mine, some dialogue from **

Giles sat in a chair with his hands bound behind his back, bleeding from the rope burns. Angelus was sitting in a chair behind him and watching Giles as he cleaned his glasses. He breathed on the lenses, polished them, and inspected his work.

"Rupert, buddy... I'm here to tell you, I'm impressed," he chuckled as he dropped the cleaning cloth, got up and went over to Giles. "Hey. Uh..." he slid on the glasses, "How you holdin' up?"

Giles looked up at him weakly, "Never... better."

"Glad to hear it," He knelt next to him, and Giles hissed painfully, "Now... tell me when it hurts." He smirked.

Dean left, saying he was going to check on Sam, and to call when it was time, so Buffy and Spike eyed each other as they headed up the walk to her house. Just then Joyce pulled up in her Jeep and noticed them from her open window. "Buffy?!" She cried out, and Buffy gave her a glance, but went right back to watching Spike. Joyce stopped the car, "Where have you been?" She got out; still asking questions "Are you okay?" She ran over to her, freaking out. "The police were here! I've been looking for you! I saw Dean and he said you were going home, what's going on Buffy?"

"Mom, let's, let's go inside, and I can explain," Buffy told her softly. But Joyce was hysterical, and demanded, "Who is this man?"

She asked Spike, "Who are you?" She turned back to Buffy and asked again, "Are you okay?"

"Mom! I'm-I'm okay," Buffy tried to assure her.

"Buffy, terrible things have happened. What were you doing?"

"What, your mum doesn't know?" Spike asked Buffy, who just glared at Spike.

"Know what?" Joyce asked, confused.

Buffy faced her mom, "That I'm, uh... in a band. A-a rock band with Spike here," she shot Spike a look, and he hurriedly agreed to play along, saying; "Right. She plays the, the triangle."

"Drums," Buffy corrected with another look and a half smile for her mother's sake. "Drums, yeah. She's, uh, hell on the old skins, you know." Spike continued, not at all convincingly.

"Hmm. And, uh, what do you do?" Joyce asked him skeptically.

"Well, I sing."

"You know what? Why don't we go inside, and, and we can talk about this," Buffy interrupted, nodding at the door. She started toward the door, and Joyce and Spike followed.

"I'm, I'm not sure how I feel about this." Joyce said, and Buffy turned around to face her.

Suddenly a vampire rushed across the porch, pushed Buffy and Spike aside and jumped down the steps at Joyce, ready to fight. She screamed in fright and backpedaled, while Buffy grabbed him by the shoulders from behind and forced him around to face Spike. She pulled out a stake as Spike punched the vamp in the face. Spike's last blow sent the vampire spinning around and away, and Buffy thrust the stake into his chest, and he instantly crumbled to dust. Joyce just stared in shock at the ash, and Spike stepped down from the porch and glared at the used-to-be vampire.

"One of Angel's boys," he said to Buffy who nodded.

"Yeah, probably watching me, or you."

"Yeah. He won't get a chance to tattle on us now."

Joyce looked back up at Buffy, utterly confused, "Buffy... what... is going on?" Buffy looked at her mother for a moment, exchanged a look with Spike and realized that it was time to come clean. She stepped up to her mom and met her confused gaze, hoping against hope for understanding. "Mom... I'm a Vampire Slayer."

Joyce just blinked her eyes, raised her brows and shook her head in complete dismay.

**The hotel: **

Dean was pacing the floor of the small room, while Sam watched. He was pissed off about the fact that she had agreed to make a deal with that blond haired vampire, and even more angry that she hadn't stopped him from leaving. The undead son of a bitch wasn't all she had, not with him there. Why didn't she see that? He heard a noise and looked sharply at Sammy, who grabbed his knife. He motioned for him to go into the bathroom, and he shook his head.

Suddenly the door was kicked open and three vampires stood in the doorway, one held a teenage girl in his arms, her neck bleeding freely from a wound. The boys' tensed but didn't move, their eyes glued to the vampires.

"Come out Winchesters, or I kill the girl." The one holding her demanded, and they shared a look, neither wanted the girl to be hurt, but the whole scenario had 'Trap' written and stamped all over it. The vampire moved his hands to opposite sides of the girl's head, preparing to break her neck with a simple twist and Dean swore.

"Alright, dammit we're coming." He growled and they both edged toward the door, Sam whispered an incantation to allow them in so they could fight back. Quickly Sam leaped forward to grab the girl as Dean threw holy water at them, making the vampires howl with anger. Sam carried the girl to the bathroom and locked the door, turning back to help Dean, who was outnumbered. He yelled Dean's name as he was slammed into the wall and slumped to the floor, and tried to stake one of the vampires who punched him, knocking him out. The last thing he remembered were the vampires picking him and Dean up, before he slipped into darkness.

**Willow's room at the hospital: **

Oz handed her a bowl of Jell-O, and she smiled at him. She was sitting up and on the phone with Buffy. She took the bowl from Oz, set it down on her lap, and began to play with the spoon. Oz pulled up a chair and sat down. "I'm okay, Buffy, really. I mean, I don't feel good, but... I'm awake, and I know my name and who's President and how many fingers, so they don't think my brain got mushed at all," she told her.

"Thank God. So sorry I can't be there," Buffy answered, who was on the phone in her kitchen. She hadn't been able to reach Dean or Sam at the hotel, so she'd called Willow to find out how she was.

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't get to cure Angel."

"Don't be. It just wasn't meant to be. I know I'm never gonna get him back the way he was. It just makes it easier."

"I guess. Any luck finding Giles?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Yep, I got a lucky break."

"What?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Dean and Sam got here last night, so I've got him watching my back."

"Good, tell them hi for me!"

"I will," Buffy chuckled.

Joyce sat nervously on the couch with her legs under her, Spike, who was sitting in a wicker chair, looked around. They sat in uncomfortable silence, and Joyce lifted her glass, took a sip of her drink and winced at its strength. Spike looked down at his lap, let out a long, bored breath and folded his hands.

"Xander. Angel and the others are holed up outside town. You remember that funky-looking mansion you showed me that time?" She asked him over the phone, as he sat on Willow's bed. Behind him she ate her Jell-O and Oz looked through a magazine.

"On Crawford Street, sure. That makes sense. What's the drill?" He answered with a nod.

"I'm gonna hit it come daybreak."

"You'll need backup," he offered.

"No, you stay there. I'm covered. I've got Dean nearby, he said he'd help."

"Do you, um... do you think Giles is still alive?" He asked hesitantly.

"I think he is. I just wish he was here to tell me what to do," she whispered, fear for her Watcher entering her thoughts.

In the living room, the silence was deafening. Spike looked around some more, and Joyce looked at him in recognition. "Have we met?" She asked.

"Um... you hit me with an ax one time. Remember?" He answered, facing her and making an ax-holding gesture, "Uh, 'get the hell away from my daughter,'" he lowered his arms.

"Oh," She let out a little chuckle, and Spike sighed with boredom. "So, do you, uh, live here in town?"

Buffy walked into the room with her arms crossed, and they both got up.

"I-is Willow all right?" Joyce asked, and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah. She's fine." She looked at Spike, "All right, talk. What's the deal?"

"Simple. You let me and Dru skip town, I'll help you kill Angel."

"Angel? Your boyfriend?" Joyce asked Buffy, confused again, but she ignored her.

"Forget about Drusilla. She doesn't walk." Buffy said to Spike, shaking her head.

"There's no deal without Dru," he argued.

"She killed Kendra."

Spike chuckled in surprise, "Dru bagged a Slayer? She didn't tell me!" He looked at Joyce, who was still lost, "Hey, good for her!" He spotted the venomous look from Buffy and lost the smile, "Though not from your perspective, I suppose."

"I can't believe I invited you into my house," she said through gritted teeth, contempt in her voice.

"So you didn't kill that girl," Joyce said with a relieved sigh.

"Of course not."

"Did she explode like that man out there?" She asked, and Buffy spoke slowly.

"She was a Slayer, Mom."

"Like what you are?" She clarified, and Buffy gave her a thin smile and a nod.

"Look," Spike pulled Buffy aside, "This deal works for me one way. Full stop. Me and Dru for Angel."

"Honey, a-are you sure you're a Vampire Slayer?" Joyce asked, still confused. They ignored her again and Spike continued, "I'll take her out of the country. You'll never hear from us again, I _bloody_ well hope."

"Fine. Get back to the mansion. Make sure Giles is all right."

"I-I mean, have you tried _not_ being a Slayer?" Joyce asked again, and they both looked at her. "Mom!" Buffy said finally, and Spike sighed in exasperation.

"Be ready to back me up when I make my move," she told him, and he walked around her and toward the door. "If Giles dies..." She said at his back, and Spike stopped to face her, "she dies." He stared at her and headed out the door.

"It's because you didn't have a strong father figure, isn't it?" Joyce asked her, trying to make sense of it.

"It's just fate, Mom. I'm the Slayer, accept it." Buffy said, fighting the desire to roll her eyes.

"We should call the police," Joyce said and headed for the kitchen.

"No. We're not calling the police." Buffy argued, moving to intercept her. Joyce stopped and faced her daughter, smiling. "Well, now that we know that you're innocent, it's..."

"What? You thought I was guilty? Jeez, feelin' the love in _this_ room!" She cried out in disbelief.

"No, I didn't think that. It's just... now we have proof."

Buffy gave an exasperated sigh, "We have my word, Mom, not proof."

Joyce headed for the kitchen again, "Look, I am sure that they will understand."

Buffy followed closely, still arguing. "Get them involved, you'll get them killed."

"Well, you're not gonna hurt them, are you?

"I'm a Slayer, not a postal worker." Her mother picked up the phone, but Buffy slapped her hand onto the switch hook. "Cops can't fight demons," she explained, taking the phone from her mom and putting it back on the cradle. "I have to do it."

"Do what? Buffy, what is happening?" Joyce demanded.

"Just have another drink," Buffy answered, turning away from her mother and starting to walk off. Joyce threw her glass aside in anger, and it broke on the floor.

"Don't you talk to me that way!" She yelled, and Buffy stopped in her tracks. "You don't get to just dump something like this on me and pretend it's nothing!"

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I don't have time for this," Buffy looked at her and started for the door, then stopped.

"No! I am tired of 'I don't have time' or-or 'you wouldn't understand.'" Buffy faced her again and she continued her rant, "I am your mother, and you will _make_ time to explain yourself.

"I told you. I'm a Vampire Slayer."

"Well, I just don't accept that!" Joyce argued haughtily. Buffy stepped closer, her eyes flashing in anger. "Open your eyes, Mom. What do you think has been going on for the past two years? The fights, the weird occurrences. How many times have you washed blood out of my clothing, and you still haven't figured it out?"

"Well, it stops now!" Joyce raised her voice angrily, and Buffy did too.

"No, it doesn't stop! It _never_ stops!" Her voice took on a desperate tone but she pushed it aside. "Do-do you think I chose to be like this? Do you have any idea how lonely it is, how dangerous? I would _love_ to be upstairs watching TV or gossiping about boys or... God, even studying! But I have to save the world... again."

"No. This is insane." She grabbed Buffy by the shoulders, "Buffy, you need help."

Buffy threw her arms off, "I'm _not_ crazy! What I need is for you to chill. I _have_ to go!"

Joyce shook her head, "No. I am not letting you out of this house."

"You can't stop me."

"Oh yes I..." Joyce grabbed her again, but Buffy shoved her back into the island, making her knock over several things. She headed for the door, opened it and stepped out. "You walk out of this house; don't even _think_ about coming back!" Joyce said angrily, but Buffy just stared at her and left. Joyce sighed and turned around and leaned on the island with her head in her hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Tell me when it hurts**

**A/N: Characters aren't mine, some dialogue from .**

Willow was sitting up in her bed with Oz in a chair next to her, Xander was sitting on the far side of the room while Cordelia paced.

"So Buffy's going for the big showdown, huh? Wish we could help," Cordy said to Xander, "You know, without dying."

"I don't see how," he answered.

"I wanna try again," Willow interrupted them and they all looked at her.

"Try what?" Oz asked.

"The curse, we never got to finish it. Maybe we _can_ restore Angel's soul."

"I don't like it. You're talking about messing with powerful magic, and you're weak." Xander argued, and she shook her head.

"I'm okay."

"You don't look okay," Xander looked at Cordelia for back-up, "Does she?"

"You should listen to him. The hair, it's so flat, and the lips..." She answered in typical Cordelia fashion, but at his exasperated look she shrugged. "What?"

"Look, it's not a good idea," he said to Willow.

"There's no use arguing with me. Do you see my resolve face?" She gave them her resolve face, "You've seen it before, and you know what it means. This can help Buffy. If we turn Angel back soon enough, we can stop him from ever awakening Acathla."

"Okay, I pretty much missed out on some stuff, didn't I? Because this is all making a kind of sense that's... not." Oz stated, getting to his feet.

"Go with Cordy to the library and get my things, she'll fill you in." She told him and he kissed her hand. He walked out of the room with Cordelia close behind, as Xander got up.

"Xander, go to Buffy, tell her what we're doing. Maybe she and Dean can stall."

"But I..." He protested, but she pointed at her resolve face again and he sighed. "Be careful."

Dean groaned as he came to and looked around for Sam, cursing silently at the fact that they'd managed to get caught. He saw him a foot away, still unconscious, but otherwise okay. He looked around again, studying his surroundings. He was in a chair with his hands tied behind his back, and the room was dark, he tested the rope bonds but they wouldn't give. He heard the door open and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping they weren't where he thought they were. Three figures came into the room, one he was in a wheelchair, he guessed Spike, which meant one of the others had to be-

He let out a howl of pain as a knife was embedded in his thigh and gritted his teeth, opening his eyes to glare hatefully at Angelus. The third person was a female, with long dark hair and exotic features, and she was looking at Sam in a way that made him want to tear her limb from limb.

"Wakey wakey Dean! Can't sleep the night away, got big plans and all." Angelus smirked, grabbing the knife and twisting, and Dean grunted in pain, not wanting to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing him yell again.

"Dru pet, do you have a new toy?" Asked Spike as she ran her nails along Sam's chest; waking him with a start. Sam's eyes searched frantically and found Dean's and Dean pleaded with him not to say a word. Dean let out a growl as Dru licked Sam's neck, struggling futilely against his bonds in anger.

"Get away from him!" He snarled, and she grinned wickedly at him, and ran a nail along his chest, drawing a thin line of blood. Sam hissed in pain and clenched his jaw, and Dean struggled harder.

"He sings and dances in my head, the stars have a dark plan for him they do." She said in her sing-song voice, moving from his side and going over to Spike. "Miss Edith whispers that he's got power, rolling and brimming with it."

Angelus took a step closer to Sam and Dean swore, trying to get them away from Sammy. He didn't know what Dru was yammering about, but he had the impression that she wasn't all there. Angelus flicked his gaze back to Dean and smirked, then had a wicked idea and grabbed Sam roughly by the shoulder.

"Another noise and I cut something off, hmm perhaps a finger?" he told Dean who snapped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw, not about to be the cause of his brother losing a limb.

Dru stepped closer to him and her fingertips danced along his shoulders and arms, and she swiped her nails diagonally across his chest, but Dean didn't make a sound, even though his head was screaming in pain as the wounds drew blood. She touched a finger to one cut and tasted it, humming and bouncing in joy.

"Ooooh he's got power too, he loves her. The skies are singing songs about this one, noble and strong and shiny, like a knight." She hummed and snapped her jaws in his ear. Angelus chuckled and dropped Sam, walking back up to Dean and backhanding him hard across the face.

"She'll never love you back you know," he said conversationally, crouching down to look Dean in the eyes. Dean spat out a mouthful of blood and glared right back with a smirk of his own.

"At least I've got a pulse shit-for-brains. What've you got: a piercing glance?" Angelus just chuckled and pulled the knife out in one smooth tug. Dean rested his head back, clenching his jaw and fighting the dark.

"Now, now, no need for name calling Dean." He admonished, licking the blood from the knife and looking back at him. He got a thoughtful look, one that Dean didn't care for at all. He handed the knife to Spike, who tasted it, and he too watched Dean in a way that made him want to squirm. They tasted something in his and Sammy's blood, and he doubted it tasted like cotton candy.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got big plans boys," Angelus announced, still absently licking the blood off the knife as if it were a lollipop. He turned and swept out, but Dru stayed, going back over to Sam. Spike watched Dean for another moment, his expression unreadable, and then turned his gaze back to his mate.

"Going to miss the party ducks," he told her, then turned his chair and wheeled out. She stayed, staring at Sam with a faraway smile.

Giles was tied to his own chair, and he hung his head weakly. "You know, I can stop the pain. You've been very brave..." Angelus said, placing his hand on Giles' shoulder. "But it's over," he walked behind him, "You've given enough." He leaned down to Giles' ear whispering, "Now let me make it stop."

"Please!" Giles pleaded, panting and shaking with pain.

Angelus kneeled to face him, "just tell me what I need to know."

"In order... to be worthy..." Giles said weakly, "you must perform the ritual... in a tutu."

Angelus glared at him but Giles didn't back down.

"Pillock!" He snarled.

"All right, someone get the chainsaw," Angelus said, standing up just as Spike wheeled in.

"Now, now, don't let's lose our temper."

"Keep out of it, sit 'n' spin."

"Look, you cut him up, you'll never get your answers," Spike reasoned.

"Since when did _you_ become so levelheaded?"

"Right about the time you became so pig-headed. You have your way with him; you'll never get to destroy the world. And I don't fancy spending the next month trying to get librarian out of the carpet. There are other ways," Spike suggested.

"Enlighten me."

"Hmm," Spike called over his shoulder into the room Dean and Sam were in behind him. "Drusilla? Sweetheart?"

She came in behind him and walked up to them, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to play a game?" He asked her, and they both looked over at Angelus.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: "We be the cavalry ma'am"**

**A/N: The name for this chapter was a quote from Christian Kane's character Eliot Spenser in a Leverage episode. Characters aren't mine, but Whedon and Kripke's. Some dialogue from .**

The main area was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape in the library, and Buffy walked in, grabbing and pulling down on the tape. As she headed toward the table she saw the chalk outline of Kendra on the floor and passed it slowly, careful not to step on it. She looked at the Orb, candles and other things that were used in the attempt at cursing Angelus. She reached under the table, pulled out Kendra's large duffel bag and set it on the table, and as she was going through it, Snyder came into the library.

"You do know this is a crime scene, don't you?" He told her, and Buffy looked up at him as he approached. "But then... you're a criminal, so that pretty much works out."

"You know I didn't do it. The police will figure it out."

"In case you haven't noticed, the police of Sunnydale are _deeply_ stupid," he took a few steps closer, "It doesn't matter anyway, whatever they find, you've proved too much of a liability for this school. These are the moments you want to savor. You wish time would stop so that you could live them over and over again." He smiled smugly, "You're expelled."

Buffy reached into the bag and pulls out the sword blessed by the knight who first slew Acathla. She held it up and turned it in her hand, Snyder looked at it, then at her and gulped. Buffy gazed at the polished blade.

"You never ever got a single date in high school, did you?" She asked him and he sniffed.

"Your point being?"

She started out of the library, leaning the blade into his face as she passed him. He bent back as he watched her go. This time she made no attempt to avoid the chalk markings on the floor, Snyder pulled out his cell phone and dialed, checking to make sure she was gone before he held the phone up to his ear. "It's Snyder," he said and smiled, "tell the Mayor I have good news."

Drusilla knelt behind Giles, patting the sweat from his forehead. "Is that better?" She asked, patting more. "Hmm?" She pulled away the cloth, "poor thing." She ran a finger down his cheek. She ran her hand up the back of Giles' head and over the top, closing her eyes, reading his thoughts. She gasped and removed her hand, whispering in Giles' ear, "Of course." She stood up and went to his other side and held up two fingers to hypnotize him. "Look at me."

Giles turned his head to look away, trying to resist. She circled the rest of the way in front of him, waving her fingers. "Mm-mm-mm-mm." Finally Giles can't resist any longer and looked at her. She waved her fingers some more and drew them in toward her eyes. "Be... in me."

Giles quickly fell under her spell, being as weak as he was; she looked into his eyes and smiles. "Hmm. See with your heart." She covered his eyes with one hand, and then lifted it away he gasps at Jenny kneeling before him. He can't believe it at first, but then accepted it, smiling weakly at her. "Jenny! I thought I'd lost you."

"Shhh, I'll never leave you."

"We have to get out of here," Giles said, trying to stand up.

"No-no-no-no-no. Slowly," she brushed a hand over his temple, down his cheek, and over his lips. Giles struggled through the fog, knowing that it can't really be Jenny. "Did you tell Angel? About the ritual?"

"No, we have to get... him away from Acathla."

"Why? Is he close to figuring it out?"

"Later," he nodded, anxious to get out of there.

"Tell me what to do." She implored, and he looked at her, helpless and confused. "It's all right. We'll be together... finally. We'll have everything we never got to have... Never got to feel... Just tell me what to do."

"We have to get Angel away from Acathla," Giles said again.

"Angel's the key?"

"H-h-his, his blood... H-he mustn't..." She shushed him again and kissed him passionately, as Angelus and Spike watched, pleased with the result.

"Blood, of course. The blood on my hands must be my own. I am the key that will open up the door. My blood. My life, okay. Kill him." He considered, and then turned to go.

"Uh, but what if he's lying?" Spike hesitated, still trying to stall, and Angelus paused, "yeah, good point. Alright, don't kill him." He leaned down to Spike, "You know I kinda like having you watch my back. It's kinda like old times." He chuckled and they both turned back to see Drusilla, still kissing Giles. They tried to get her attention, and she finally started, turning back to them with an evil smile as Giles realized he'd been tricked.

Buffy approached Giles' house, dread settling in her gut. She'd just gone by Sam and Dean's hotel and it'd been trashed. She had the feeling that Angelus had ordered them captured so they couldn't help her, and she hoped they were both alive. Buffy found Whistler in the kitchen, holing an empty bottle of Sherry, then moving to check out the fridge.

"Whistler," she addressed him, "what did you mean, the sword isn't enough?"

"You know, raiding an Englishman's fridge is like dating a nun. You're never gonna get the good stuff." He told her, finding a beer and opening it.

"Tell me how to use it," she demanded.

"Angel's the key; his blood will open the door to Hell. Acathla opens his big mouth, creates a vortex. Then only Angel's blood will close it. One blow will send 'em both back to Hell. But I strongly suggest that you get there before that happens, 'cause the faster you kill Angel, the easier it's gonna be on you." He told her, taking a swig of the beer and closing the fridge again.

"Don't worry about me."

"It's all on the line here, kid."

"I can deal," she said sadly, thinking of all she'd lost, "I got nothing left to lose."

"Wrong, kid. You got one more thing." He said after she'd left, watching her back.

Buffy walked toward the mansion at a determined pace, the sword wrapped in a cloth at her side. Suddenly Xander ran out of the bushes on the hillside and jumped into the street in front of her. She startled and took a step back. "Xander!"

"Cavalry's here. Cavalry's a frightened guy with a rock," he said, holding up a large rock, "but it's here." He glanced around for Dean but didn't see him, and turned back to her, "Where's Dean? I thought he was going to be here to help? That slacker," he joked, but he saw the worry in her eyes.

Buffy held up a stake, and he tossed the rock aside as he took the stake. "That's better."

"Angelus grabbed them I think. You're not here to fight." She started walking, "You get Giles and Sam out, and you run like hell, understood? I can't protect you." She pulled the cloth off the sword and tossed it aside. "I'm gonna be too busy killing."

"Now, that's a new look for you."

"It's a present for Angel," she answered, steel in her voice.

"Willow," he stopped, "uh, she told me to tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"Kick his ass," he said, after pausing to think a moment. Without a word they continued walking, Xander hesitated a moment again, then followed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Sacrifices we make**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Characters aren't mine.**

Angelus and Drusilla stood at one end of the mansion next to the large fireplace, with Acathla and the two other vampires standing on either side. Angelus began the ritual, "Acathla... Mundatus sum... pro te necavi. Sanguinem meum... pro te effundam..." He stepped toward Acathla, "quo me dignum... esse demonstrem."

In the hospital, Cordelia and Oz had returned with the Orb and the candles, and they set everything up on the tray table over the bed: the Orb was surrounded by the candles within a sacred circle. Cordelia stood on one side and waved burning herbs and incense over the Orb, as Oz stood opposite her with an open Latin book. Willow sat up in her bed, holding the printout of the Rumanian curse.

"Are we ready?" Willow asked them, and they nodded.

"Stinky herbs are a go," Cordelia said, but Oz looked uncertain.

"Did I mention I didn't take Latin?"

"Y-you don't have to understand it. You just have to say it. I hope." She told him and he nodded.

**Mansion: **

"Now, Acathla..." Angelus continued as Drusilla handed him a knife. "You will be free," he drew the blade across his palm, winced in pain, but didn't take his gaze from the demon. He dropped the knife, "and so will we all."

Buffy came up quietly behind one of the other vampires, raised her sword and decapitated him with a single swing. He crumbled to ash and his head fell to the floor, and when Drusilla and Angelus turned to look, Buffy met their gazes with a grim smile. "Hello, lover."

"I don't have time for you," Angelus said in a bored tone.

"You don't have a lot of time _left_."

"Coming on kind of strong, don't you think? You're playing some deep odds here. Do you really think you can take us all on?" He asked her with a patronizing smirk, not seeing Spike get to his feet behind him until he was hit hard across the back with an andiron.

Angelus cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, Drusilla twisted her head to look at Spike, who'd begun whaling on Angelus as hard as he could. Buffy started for Drusilla, but the first vampire attacked her. She spun around to face him, but he punched her and she fell to the floor. She tripped him and maneuvered herself to her feet, ready to fight. He came at her again with a series of punches, all of which she easily blocked. Spike kept pounding on Angelus. "Painful, isn't it?"

As he kept swinging the andiron, Drusilla began to freak, and jumped on Spike, knocking them both to the floor. Buffy's assailant punched her in the face, and she staggered into a chair by the wall. She quickly recovered enough to block another swing, brought her knee up into his gut and kicked him in the face, knocking him to the floor. She spotted broken wood fragments on the floor and went over to them, and as the vampire got to his feet, Xander surprised him with a punch. Buffy picked up a suitable piece of scrap wood and got back into the fight. Xander backed off to go look for Giles, checking a room toward the back.

The vampire ducked a roundhouse kick and blocked another kick from Buffy, and Spike and Drusilla got up from the floor and faced off.

"I don't want to hurt you, baby," he told her, but she grabbed him by the throat and shoved him into the wall. He slapped her arm aside and punched her in the face, "doesn't mean I won't."

**Hospital: **

Willow cast her stones and gave Oz his cue, Cordelia waved the burning herbs and incense as he began, "Quod perditum est, invenietur."

"Not dead... nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum, I call." She continued.

**Mansion: **

Xander found Dean tied to a chair and freed him, and he ran over to Sam, checking to make sure his little brother was alright.

"You guys okay?" Xander asked Dean, hesitating near the door. Dean nodded and slipped an arm around Sam to help him stand.

"Yeah, go get Giles." Dean told him and Xander nodded, while Dean half-carried Sam out into the main room where Buffy and Angelus' lackey were still fighting. Xander pushed aside a curtain that lead to another room and found Giles tied to his own chair.

"Giles!" Xander exclaimed, going over to him quickly and getting to work on his bonds. Giles' head was tilted back, and at his voice, Giles it slowly.

"Xander?" He asked weakly.

"Can you walk?"

"You're not real."

"Sure, I'm real."

"It's a trick, they get inside my head, make me see things I want." Giles argued, not believing. Xander untied the ropes and went around him to look at Giles, "Then why would they make you see me?"

"You're right, let's go," he decided after a moment's consideration, groaning as Xander got under his arm and helped him out of the chair. They quickly made their way through the main hall and out the door.

Buffy and the vampire continued to fight but she saw Dean carry Sam over to lean against the wall near the door. Drusilla swiped at Spike with her hand leaving four parallel scratches across his cheek, following up with a punch that knocked him to the floor. Angelus woke up with a groan of pain, rubbed his eyes and looked up at Acathla, then got to his feet and went over to the demon. Buffy was still fighting the vampire, blocking a kick from him, she punched him, spun around and punched again, and he fell onto his back. Buffy quickly followed him down with her stake and jammed it into his chest, and he burst into ash.

Behind her Angelus took the last few steps to Acathla and grabbed the sword stuck in his chest by the hilt with his bloody hand. A blindingly bright light emanated from it, and Buffy looked up from her kill in time to witness Angelus pulling the sword from the demon's heart. After a few more sparks, the light disappeared. Angelus whipped the sword around in his hand and held it up to look at it. Buffy scrambled to get her own sword, just as Drusilla looked up from her fight and gazed at Acathla with a smile.

"Oh... Here he comes," she said, and Spike came up behind her and grabbed her around the throat with his arm, choking her.

**Hospital: **

Willow continued her chant, but was starting to feel weak. "Gods, bind him. Cast his heart from the... evil... realm."

**Mansion: **

Buffy held up her sword to face off with Angelus, who held his own ready too. Dean was tending to Sam, grateful that he hadn't been hurt worse than a few scratches from the psycho-bitch, but he kept going in and out of consciousness. He glanced over at Buffy in concern but she seemed to be holding her own, so he focused on Sammy.

"You almost made it, Buff," Angelus taunted.

"It's not over yet."

"My boy Acathla here is about to wake up, you're going to Hell."

"Save me a seat," she quipped. She thrust at him with her sword, but he parried, swinging around with a thrust of his own, which she also parried. They clashed blades several times; Buffy ducked an arcing swing from him. They faced off again and traded one thrust and parry after another, and Angelus tried swinging again from above, but she easily ducked, sidestepping out of the way. They faced off again in front of Acathla, trading a few more blows. Angelus tried a swing from above a third time, and again Buffy ducked it, darting to the side. She jumped up on a low table and swung at him again, but he parried, swinging at her legs. She jumped up and over his blade, landing on the floor.

He tried taking a swing at her legs again, but she blocked his attempt with her blade; again they traded several swings. Angelus tried a wide swing again, and this time cut her superficially on the arm. When he attempted to take advantage of her distraction, coming at her with his sword held high, intending to swing from above, she dropped to the floor and rolled out of the way before he could. He caught a bowl, smashing it behind her. Buffy kicked his legs out from under him and scrambled back to her feet, and he turned to face her while on his knees, swinging three times in rapid succession, all of which she blocked.

He swung a fourth time, which she knocked his sword into the table with her parry and pinned it there. He punched her face with the back of his hand and she spun away, so he pulled the sword from the table, swinging it at her. She blocked it, kicking him in the gut and making him double over; she jumped over him, raising her sword to continue the fight. He thrusted and she parried, but when he kicked her in her sword arm, she stumbled back a step.

**Hospital: **

Willow was getting weaker as she chanted, breathing heavily. "Return," she panted, "I call on..." She was aware that they were concerned and asked if she was okay, but before she could reassure them, her head snapped back, and she looked up, her eyes wide open. Her head snapped back down and her eyes stared into the Orb, as she began to chant in Rumanian.

"Te implor, doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte."

Oz looked at Cordelia with worry and Cordelia started to freak, "Is this a good thing?" he asked as Willow continued in a voice that sounded like she was possessed.

"Nici mort, nici al fintei..."

"Hey, speak English!" Cordelia yelped, but Willow ignored her and continued.

"Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul la el."

**Mansion: **

The fight moved out into the atrium, as Buffy hit the ground, scrambling back to her feet, and Angelus advanced. She thrusted and he blocked her blow, she spun around to swing at him, and he blocked again. Her sword bounced off of his and fell with the tip into a low wall of a planting bed. Angelus stomped on the blade, knocking it from her grasp, spinning around; he elbowed her in the face, knocking her back into a stone table that collapsed with her.

Deep growls came from Acathla as he began to wake, and Dean paled, glancing over at the stone figure. Spike choked Drusilla, and she started to lose consciousness, slumping over in his arms. "Sorry, baby. Wish there was another way," he said as he caught her in his arms; lifting her to carry her out.

On the way he passed Dean and Sam, who glared at him, but he ignored it. He looked out the doorway to the atrium, glancing outside at where Buffy and Angelus were fighting. He stopped to take a better look as Buffy backed up against the wall without her sword, while Angelus slowly advanced on her with his own in hand. "God, he's gonna kill her."

He muttered, and he saw Dean get up from his crouch beside his brother, intending to help. He watched for another moment as Angelus walked deliberately close to Buffy, and then shrugged, heading for the garage with Drusilla.

Angelus toyed with his sword, pointing it at Buffy and she looked back at him, frightened. "Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends... No hope." He smirked, and she closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she knew was coming. "Take all that away... and what's left?"

"Buffy!" Dean shouted. He staggered closer to try to help as Angelus drew the sword back to thrust it at her face. With lightning-fast reflexes she brought up with both arms, catching the blade between the palms of her hands; and she opened her eyes to meet his.

"Me." She shoved the blade away from her, the hilt of the sword hit Angelus in the face; and he staggered back, giving her time to hop to her feet, kicking him in the chest. He stumbled back another step, and she reached down to pick up her sword. She swung it around and thrusted at him, but he managed to parry. They exchanged several blows, blocking each other, Buffy spun around, swinging her sword down at him from above. He held his own up to block, but she hit it hard and he fell to one knee. She swung again, he blocked, and she spun around with a roundhouse kick to his side, making him collapse to the ground.

Buffy kicked Angelus, and he flew through the door, hit the floor and rolled to a stop. Before he could get all the way back to his feet Buffy leapt in, swinging her sword at him. He almost missed blocking her blow, trying to step back in order to get his footing. They exchanged more swings; but Angelus missed a block, getting sliced on his hand. Dean went back over to Sam, who had passed out again, wishing he could help but they were fighting too fast and he didn't want to accidentally attack Buffy instead of Angelus.

**Hospital: **

As the table lurched, Willow yelled the last part of the spell, "Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum!"

**Mansion: **

Angelus dropped his sword to hold the cut, Buffy kicked his face, and he fell backward into Acathla on his knees before her.

**Hospital: **

"Acum!" She finished, and the Orb glowed brightly a moment then went dark. Willow relaxed, looking around blankly at Oz and Cordelia who were near her, watching.

**Mansion: **

Buffy raised her sword to dispatch Angelus, but hesitated when he suddenly gasped, groaning in pain. His eyes glowed bright red for an instant, then went dark again. He looked up at her, then collapsed to the floor, crying. Buffy stared down at him, still holding her sword behind her; and he rose back up, his eyes heavy with tears, looking into her eyes.

"Buffy?" He asked softly, sobbing. "What's going on?"

She gazed at him, confused, not yet ready to lower the sword, and he looked around the room. He saw Dean and an unconscious Sam nearby, but turned back to Buffy, getting to his feet. "Where are we? I-I don't remember."

Finally, Buffy realized the curse worked, and she slowly lowered her sword, "Angel?"

"You're hurt," he said, seeing her wound. She looked down at the wound, feeling his gentle touch on her arm. She looked away from the cut and back up at him, taking a step closer, and he embraced her tightly.

"Oh, Buffy... God." She was still in shock, but she accepted the hug. She saw Dean get to his feet, helping Sam up as well, and that once again, he wouldn't look at her. He and Sam left the mansion but he turned back, pain in his eyes.

"I... I feel like I haven't seen you in months," Angel said, unaware of the turmoil she saw in Dean's eyes. She finally accepted that he was Angel again, closing her eyes and breathing out a deep sigh as she heard the door close behind Dean. "Oh, my God, everything's so muddled. I..." He held her even tighter. "Oh..." He sighed deeply, kissing her on the shoulder, "Oh, Buffy..."

She cried into his shoulder, hugging him back, but behind him Acathla let out a low rumble. Buffy opened her eyes, staring in shock as Acathla's face contorted; his brows angled down, his eyes glowed red, his mouth opened and the swirling vortex to Hell opened, growing steadily in size and emanating an intense red glow. Buffy let Angel go, looking up into his face, with tears in her eyes.

"What's happening?" He asked her, confused, and she whispered reassuringly. "Shhh, don't worry about it." She brushed her fingers over his lips and his cheek, laying her hand on his cheek and kissing him softly. He returned the kiss, and it grew passionate, the vortex continued to grow larger. Buffy broke off the kiss, looking deeply into Angel's eyes, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you," he whispered back, and she touched his lips with her fingers again.

"Close your eyes," she said softly, then nodded reassuringly, and he complied. She tried hard not to cry, kissing him again gently then stepped back, drew the sword and thrust it into his chest. His eyes opened in surprise and pain, and a bright light emanated from the sword as she stepped away from him. He reached for her, looking down at the sword thrust completely through him, he looked at her bewildered by this turn of events.

She vaguely heard the sound of Dean's boots behind her as he came to stand at her back, watching the scene but not making a sound. She stared at the sword protruding from his chest, slowly stepping further back and almost into his chest.

"Buffy..." Behind Angel the power of the sword started to swirl into the vortex, and Buffy took another step back, still unable to tear her gaze away from the sword in his chest and not into his face. As the vortex enlarged and the two energies began to interact, Angel still held his hand out to Buffy. When the vortex finally met him, it suddenly closed into Acathla's mouth without so much as a spark, taking him with it.

Buffy stared at the stone demon for a long moment, the horror of awareness dawning in her eyes as she realized exactly what she just did, what she'd now lost. She began to sob, her heart breaking, not even aware when her knees started to crumble, or the feel of strong arms catching her before she hit the stone floor. She gripped Dean as he slipped one arm under her legs and the other around her back, lifting her with only a slight groan and carried her to the door. She clung to his neck and sobbed, and he let her, without a word.

**A/N2: Translation: Acathla... I am cleansed... here before you. My blood... flowing before you...makes me worthy... as I demonstrate….What is lost, return….I implore you, Lord, do not ignore this request…..Let this Orb be the vessel that will carry his soul to him….Neither dead, nor of the living...So it shall be! So it shall be! Now!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Getting out of dodge**

**A/N: Ok from here the remaining chapters are obviously AUish, cuz I took out the bus scene in the end of Becoming part 2. Characters aren't mine.**

Dean carried Buffy out to the garage to an empty car, placing her gently in the seat, and got in on the other side. She leaned against the door and looked out the window, not saying a word and not crying. Dean hot-wired the car and drove it back to their hotel, stopping on the way for some medical supplies at a gas station. Once back in their room, Sam let Dean tend to him, and Buffy went into the bathroom for a hot shower. Dean kept glancing at the bathroom, concerned for her, but let her have her space. Sam started to pack and take down the crosses once he was all set again, and tried to make some semblance of order out of the trashed room. After a silent look at Dean, he went out to load the Impala, leaving the two alone. Dean knocked gently on the bathroom door, and after not hearing the water running; he opened it to lay some clothes on the counter. The jeans and shirt were his, and would probably be too big for her small frame but they'd have to do until she went back home.

He tried not to glance at her, but when he heard another sob, he forgot about modesty and found her curled up in the tub, her legs drawn close, her hair plastered to her head. He got a towel off the rack and handed it to her, then turned so she could wrap it around herself. He heard her get up and the rustle of fabric as she put on the towel, then felt her hand on his arm. He faced her, holding her close and kissing her forehead gently, wishing he could do more to ease her pain.

"Here are some clothes, okay?" He said softly, and he felt her nod. "They might be too big, but they'll do until I can get you home."

"No," she whispered, and her voice came out as a hoarse sounding croak, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "No, I can't go home."

"Why not sweet?" He asked, cupping her face in his hands and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"Mom knows, and she..." She trailed off and he sighed, and then leaned forward to kiss her temple.

"Get dressed; we'll talk about the next step after alright?" He told her and she managed a half-smile that he returned before leaving her alone in the bathroom again. She let out a shaky breath and looked in the small mirror over the sink. He'd given her some of his casual clothes, she noticed, but also a belt in case the jeans were too big. She combed her fingers through her wet hair, trying to pull herself together and thought about what she should do now. She could go home, but not to stay, and she'd been expelled tonight. She didn't want to stay in Sunnydale: there were too many memories of Angel and Angelus everywhere she turned. She also knew that Dean and Sam would be heading out again, probably the next morning in fact, and thought maybe they'd agree to take her with them. She pulled on Dean's clothes and, after taking a moment to breathe in his familiar scent, she towel-dried her hair and attempted to get the blotchiness from crying out of her face.

When she was done, she opened the door and found Sam and Dean talking in hushed tones; Sam on his bed, while Dean was packing a bag on the other. Sam smiled at her and went over to give her a comforting hug that she gratefully returned.  
>After he let go he went back to his bed and sat down, and she saw Dean give her an once-over to make sure she was okay. He did that a lot and not just to her but to Sam as well, she'd noticed, but she found that she didn't really mind; it meant that he cared. She sat on the edge of his bed and he watched her, none of them said anything for a moment or two.<p>

"Dean said you can't go home?" Sam asked her quietly, and she nodded. "What about Giles?"

"No, I don't want to do that to him. I um, wanted to know if maybe I could come with you guys." She answered hesitantly. The two brothers shared a look, but neither said no right away.

"What about school?" Dean asked.

"Snyder expelled me tonight," she answered and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips at Dean's expression. "I can't stay here. There are too many memories here."

Dean and Sam exchanged another look, and Dean frowned at what Sam's said. He wanted to be with her sure, but not when they were hunting. The fact that she was a Slayer was irrelevant in his eyes, even though he knew she'd think otherwise. He wanted to tell her that she needed to stay here anyway, try to patch things up with her mom and her friends. But the lost look in her eyes told him that she wouldn't listen, and would most likely go off on her own if he said no.

"You're going to go even if it's not with us aren't you?" He voiced the thought and she didn't bother to deny it. He sighed, thinking it was better if he let her come along for a little bit, at least until she figured things out, than if she went off alone without one of them to look out for her. His dad wasn't going to like the new development, but he really didn't want to let her out of his sight. Not when she was walking around like a zombie anyway.

"Alright, here's the deal," he told them once he reached his decision. "Buffy and I will swing by her place to get her things, and Sam you go grab some food. We head for L.A. in the morning, there's a case Dad wants us to look into. We'll figure out the rest after that, capische?" They both nodded and he jerked his thumb at her, and then led the way to the car outside, keys in hand.

She followed and they rode the way to her house in silence, he pulled up at the curb with the lights off so as not to alert Joyce and watched her slip out quietly and into her bedroom window with practiced ease. A few minutes later he heard the low thud of her duffel bag hitting the ground and saw her climb back down and land beside it. She picked up the bag and crept back to the car, sliding into the front again beside him. He turned into the driveway two houses down so he could turn around and go back to the hotel. As they passed the light went on in her vacant room as Joyce went to go investigate the noise she thought she heard.

"Buffy?" She asked, walking to Buffy's room and looking in. The windows were open, and some of her daughter's things strewn on the bed. She stepped in and glanced around, spying a note on the bed amongst a bunch of clothes. She picked up the note and read it then began to cry as she read, sitting down on the bed.

**The next morning: **

They all got dressed and left in tired silence, none of them awake enough to talk. Sam slid into the backseat and promptly fell asleep again, so Buffy claimed the front next to Dean. She had slept poorly the night before, even though he'd had his arms around her. She kept dreaming of stabbing Angel, and had other dreams where he was alive, and those hurt even worse. Twice she'd woken up sobbing, and hearing Dean try to calm her as she cried.

As they neared the high school, she touched his arm and he pulled over across the street, understanding that she needed a moment. She climbed out and stood at the edge of the grounds, watching the school from beneath a shady tree. Dean stayed in the car, waiting for her patiently.

Xander and Giles walked up to Oz pushing a wheelchair with Willow in it, Cordelia at their side. Giles' walk was a bit unsteady, as he asked Willow, "Willow, are you sure you should be out of bed?"

"Look who's talking," she answered and he smiled and gave a slight nod.

"Any word?" Cordelia asked, squinting her eyes against the bright glare of the sun.

"You guys haven't seen her either?" Xander asked, and Willow shook her head.

"But we know the world didn't end, 'cause..." Oz said, and glanced around at the bustling students. "Check it out."

"Well, we, uh... we went back to the mansion. I-it was empty, um... and Acathla was, was...dormant." Giles said, taking off his glasses and squinting also.

"I think the spell worked. I felt something go through me."

"Plus the Orb did that cool glow thing." Cordelia agreed, and Oz nodded.

"Well, maybe it wasn't in time. Maybe she had to kill him before the cure could work." Xander said with a shrug.

"Well, then, she'd wanna be alone, I guess," Oz commented.

"Or maybe Angel _was_ saved, and they want to be alone together." Willow said, hope in her voice.

"Perhaps," Giles answered.

"Well, she's gotta show up sooner or later. We still have school," Cordelia said as the bell rang.

"Yeah," Willow agreed and looked around for her. "She'll be here in a while." They all turned and headed into the school.

Dean drove to L.A. in silence, glancing between Sam in the back and beside him at Buffy, who just gazed out the window. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better, and she finally turned to see him watching her, giving him a soft half-smile. His heart ached for her, and he wanted so much to see her familiar grin, and to make the pain in her eyes go away. She edged over near him and he lifted an arm to wrap along the top of the seat and she leaned close against his chest, soaking up the warmth of his concern. He kissed the top of her head, the smell of vanilla filling the car, and he settled his arm around her as she drifted lazily along her thoughts; not wanting to fall asleep and dream about what she'd lost.

They arrived at a small hotel just before sunset, and went inside to do the necessary precautions. Once again they got a room with twin beds, one for Sam, and one for Dean and Buffy, who couldn't sleep unless he was beside her. He'd offered to take the floor and give her the bed, but after the first time she woke from a nightmare, he'd quickly discarded that thought. Having him close didn't keep them away, but they did make them easier because once he managed to bring her out of it, he always let her cry into his chest.

That night as they all prepared for bed, Dean's phone rang, and he hesitated before answering, sharing a glance with Sam. "Hi dad," he said when he answered.

"Dean, how's Sammy, are you guys in Los Angeles yet?" John asked and Dean said yes and that Sam was fine. Dean sat at the small table in their room, and Buffy settled on Sam's bed beside him, all watching Dean talk into the phone. "Dean I got a call from Mr. Giles today," John said and Dean met Buffy's gaze, warning her not to say a word. "He mentioned that his Slayer hasn't been in school or at home. You boys didn't come across her did you?"

"No sir, haven't seen her…sir," he answered, making a slight grimace at the unconvincing sound of his voice. John hid a smile on his end, knowing damn well his eldest was lying through his teeth, _and_ that he was doing it to protect the girl in question. Giles and he had talked in length over the time after the haunting, and Giles had informed him about the closeness between his son and the young Slayer. Dean was a good judge of character, and if he cared about this girl enough to lie to him, then she must be someone as precious to Dean as Sammy was.

"Alright, if you hear from her let I or Mr. Giles know. They're worried about her," John said finally and hung up after Dean confirmed. He knew that Buffy had come with them to get away from Sunnydale and all it represented. He also knew that once she was okay again, Dean would take her back; whether she wanted to go or not. He trusted his sons, and knew they'd keep an eye on her and that she was in the best of hands for the time being.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Comfort**

**A/N: I wanted to do some research on what manner or beastie I wanted them to hunt. Thanks to lucidtransmissions for the suggestion of a ghoul or goblin but after reading about the episodes of Supernatural that I haven't seen I decided not to use a ghoul because of Adam Milligan in Season 4 or 5, whichever he was in. I couldn't find much on goblins, but came across gremlins and my bunny jumped on that with ideas so I wrote this last night to get it out of my head so I could sleep and typed it this morning. Characters belong to their creators except in my head, where they follow my whims obediently ;)**

Buffy sat on the bed of their hotel, eating a burger and wondering what the case they were supposed to be working on was. Dean was sitting on the floor with his back against the bed she was perched on, eating his own bacon cheeseburger and sneaking fries from her box of food when she wasn't looking.

"Okay, so the case is basically that a small aircraft went down about a week ago, thankfully no one was harmed." Sam told them both from his bed, where he was alternately eating and typing on his laptop.

"What do they think caused it?" Buffy asked, snatching one of Dean's onion rings and popping it into her mouth with a smug smile at Dean.

"They weren't sure, said they heard some noises and somehow there was dust in the fuel pipes, which rings a bell with something Dad wrote about, but I'm not sure which one." Sam answered, reaching for their dad's journal to rifle through it.

"Doesn't really sound supernatural Sammy," Dean commented. "And if the next words out of your mouth happen to involve getting on a plane, you can forget it."

Buffy glanced at Dean and caught the smirk on Sam's face as he flipped through the small book, "You're afraid of flying," she said to Dean, phrasing it as more of a statement than a question.

"Planes crash!" He defended, ignoring Sam's smirk and Buffy's giggle. "What's the journal say?" He asked instead, grabbing one of her fries deliberately and eating it, giving her a cheeky grin.

"Well, there's not a lot, but he did mention something about gremlins in here," Sam answered.

"Dean, give it back!" Buffy yelped and Sam looked up to see Dean holding her soda can just out of reach while she tried to grab it back. She slid off her bed and straddled his lap, trying to retrieve her soda by distracting him. She kissed him and slid one hand over his chest, mindful of Dru's handiwork, while discreetly trying to reach for her drink with the other and he chuckled. He fisted one hand in her hair, deepening the kiss, temporarily forgetting he was holding her Coke hostage. She kissed him back with equal fervor, until she heard Sam clear his throat behind her. She snatched her drink back from Dean and grinned at him in triumph. She didn't move from his lap though, and felt his hand running through her hair. They both turned back to San when he cleared his throat a second time.

"Got a frog in your throat Sammy?" Dean quipped and Sam scowled at him.

"It's Sam, jerk."

"Bitch."

"Guys!" Buffy interjected and they both looked at her: Sam looked a little apologetic but Dean just gave her another cheeky grin. "Sam, you were saying?" she prompted, giving Dean a slight glare.

"Right, uh apparently gremlins are little creatures that like to mess around with airplanes. They aren't usually evil, but they are mischievous. Legend has it they were once very helpful to men, but turned against them when they weren't getting recognition."

"Okay, so how do we kill Gizmo?" Dean asked once he swallowed a mouthful of burger. "The usual iron rounds?"

"No, iron won't have any effect, but sunlight hurts them, just like a vampire," Sam answered and Buffy nodded.

"I can work with that, what's the plan?" She asked, turning from her spot on Dean's lap to lean her back against the bed as she sat on the floor next to him.

"The pilot is alive so we can talk to him, see if he saw something?" Sam said, taking a sip of his own drink.

Dean nodded in agreement, "Yeah we'll rest tonight then go talk to him in the morning, see what we can find out."

They nodded and ate some more, Sam still typing away while Buffy and Dean snatched food from each other's take-out boxes. When they were finished, they prepared for bed: changing into sleep clothes and checking supplies for the next day. Dean walked over to the bathroom door and leaned on the jamb, brushing his teeth while he watched Buffy put some girly type lotion or whatever on her face and arms. He took a step toward the sink and spat out the mouthful of toothpaste, grabbed the small cup on the counter and rinsed out his mouth. He grinned as he easily swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, dropping her unceremoniously on it with a squeal.

He followed, lying beside her while Sam just smiled and rolled his eyes with affection at the two of them, clicking off the light and laying on his own bed. He liked this new side of his brother that the blonde Slayer brought out. He was glad Dean had agreed to let her come with them, he watched her sometimes when she'd gaze out the window, her eyes full of shadows and pain. Being with them would help get her mind off of Sunnydale, and he was relieved to see her smile around them again.

_Buffy stood on the sand, feeling the breeze tousle her blond tresses across her face and neck. She closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her face, and then she felt strong arms slip between her arms from behind and around her waist intimately. She smiled sadly as she felt the strong masculine build at her back, wrapping her arms around the ones clasped at her belly. She felt a gentle kiss at her collarbone and turned her head to see Angel standing behind her._

_"I miss you," she whispered to him and turned to face him, placing one hand on his chest where his heart once beat so long ago._

_"Why did you kill me?" He asked in a harsh voice and she looked up into his face as it contorted in pain. She noticed the blood darkening his shirt and she brought her hands to her face, taking a step back in horror. She was in the mansion again, watching him bleed with the sword pinning his body to Acathla, his hand held out to her, his eyes harsh and confused. "Save me," he said and she jolted awake in her bed._

Only when she made out Sam's form on the adjacent bed with her Slayer vision did she calm down enough to let out the breath she was holding. She leaned forward to set her elbows on her crossed knees, running her hands through her hair to rest on her shoulders, trying to slow her heart down from its rapid beat. She felt a soft touch on her back and heard Dean groan as he sat up beside her. He touched his hand to her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Dreams again?" He asked quietly and she nodded. "It's okay, I'm here."

He opened his arms and enveloped her in a hug, trying not to let her see his jaw clench in anger, his chin resting on top of her head as he ran his fingers through her hair. She'd had nightmares every time she allowed sleep to take her and he couldn't do anything but hold her and curse Angel for putting those shadows in her eyes. He leaned back against the headboard and she curled against him, laying her head on his chest and entwining his other hand with hers. "Do you want to tell me about it?" He offered, not really wanting to hear that she'd been dreaming of Angel but he would ignore it if she needed him to.

She shook her head though, and angled her neck into his shirt, breathing in his scent of soap, salt and leather. She felt his heart beat steadily beneath her ear and listened to it for a moment, soothed by the sound and feel of him.

He continued to hold her and run his fingers through her hair, unsure what else to say that wouldn't sound unbelievably stupid. He wasn't good at this kind of thing, but he felt himself acting differently around her at times like this than he would with anyone else. They stayed that way for several minutes, maybe an hour, he wasn't sure. He was content just to hold her close, and she let him as they sat in silence.

He thought she'd fallen asleep until he heard her ask quietly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" He answered, not stopping his hand's movement through her hair.

"This, comforting me."

"Why wouldn't I?" He was confused now, and he felt her shift to look up at him.

"You saw me with Angel, I guess I thought you'd be upset and we'd fight," she told him when she met his confused gaze.

"Why, did you want to?" He joked with a smirk, "I gotta say I'm pretty comfortable so I don't really feel like getting up and slamming shit around."

She laughed at that and looked down again, toying with the bedspread. "No, it's just that…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish that particular thought.

"Buffy, look at me," he said softly, his voice serious. She did and met his eyes again, catching her lip and worrying it. "You're going through some emotional stuff right now and I get that, I'm not mad about you guys hugging or whatever, not really anyway. You loved him and you were forced to kill him to save the world, which sucks. I can't imagine the pain you're going through, and yeah I hate him for causing it, but if you think I'm just going to let you go through it alone then you're wrong."

At his words she felt a tear trek its way down her cheek and he gently wiped it away with his index finger, his gaze never leaving hers. She leaned forward to catch his mouth in a kiss and felt one of his hands slide to the back of her shirt and under it, pressing his palm against the small of her back. The other he tangled in her hair, kissing her just as deeply in return. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, requesting permission and she parted her mouth in acceptance, letting her tongue meet his in a sensual dance. He pressed her closer, sliding the hand on her back up to her shoulder blades, fingers splayed across her spine.

She might hate him for it in the morning, but all that mattered was that she was here in his arms right now, willing and wreaking holy havoc on his senses.

The next morning Buffy woke to sunlight streaming in through the curtains, and glanced down at the comforter covering her nude back. She was stretched across his chest, her legs tangled in his as he continued to sleep, unaware that she was awake. She blinked to let her eyes adjust, and tried to get rid of the fog in her head as she woke up. She heard the shower running which meant that Sam was up and had undoubtedly seen them wrapped in each other's arms.

She gazed at Dean's face, so peaceful in sleep while his arm curled across her back, holding her to him. She wasn't sure if she regretted what happened the night before, but she decided to dress first and think about it later. She untangled her body from his and stood, wrapping the sheet around her and leaving him covered by the blanket. She crossed the room to her bag and pulled out some clothes and the toiletry bag she'd packed as the bathroom door opened and a fully dressed Sam exited, his damp hair in his eyes. She smiled at him and carried her clothes and supplies into the newly vacated bathroom. She heard him wake Dean, and then Dean's muttered rely as he was roused from sleep. She dressed and applied make up, then brushed her hair, fixing it into a French braid to keep it out of her face. Dean seemed to like her neck, she'd learned, and it gave her a chance to show it off to him while having the added bonus of it not bugging her all day.

Dean felt like an ass once he woke up enough to remember the night before and the way she'd allowed him to kiss and touch her. He'd enjoyed every precious second, but he felt bad about it at the same time, which was a new feeling. She was still hurting from killing Angel and he felt as if he'd taken advantage of her vulnerability, even though he knew she'd let him and that he had tried to stop out of respect for her. He contemplated what to say as he got ready, still yawning from sleep, waiting for his turn in the bathroom.

He turned when she approached, uncertain what to do or say, but smiled in response to the one she wore when she looked back at him. Relieved, he grabbed his toothbrush and clothes for a shower, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as he passed. Once they were ready, they all headed to a small mom and pop diner near the hotel, taking a seat in an empty booth: Dean and Buffy on one side with his arm resting casually along the back of the booth with Sam across from them. He played with the end of her French braids while they waited for the waitress to take their order and Sam opened his laptop and waited for it to boot up, glancing at them with a smile. He wasn't stupid, he knew what happened between them while he slept, and he could tell that his brother had been worried about the aftermath. It dinged when his background of him, his dad and Dean loaded, alerting him that he had an e-mail. He opened it and inhaled, glancing at Buffy who was kissing Dean and playing with the keys to the Impala. "Um, Willow sent me a message," he told her and she paused, turning her head to meet his gaze.

"What's it say?" She asked with forced calm, sadness entering her eyes at the mention of her best friend. She felt Dean place his hand over hers on the table but she didn't look at him, her gaze was still locked on Sam's.

"Basically asks if we've seen you, want me to say no?" He inquired softly, and she nodded, looking down at Dean's hand covering hers, letting her fingers entwine with his. He did and by the time he'd finished the waitress was back with their food and he set the computer aside to eat his breakfast.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Questioning witnesses**

**A/N: Characters aren't my own, they belong to Joss Whedon and Eric Kripke**

Dean drove to the airstrip the small plane had flown out of after they ate, Sam in the front researching gremlins and any witnesses to the crash while Buffy occupied the backseat. Neither Buffy nor Dean acted any differently around each other except they were both quieter than normal. Sam didn't hear from Willow again after the message at breakfast, but Buffy seemed to slip once again into solitude. She just stared out the window at the cars and passing trees, listening to the boys banter with half an ear.

They pulled up to the airstrip and the boys rummaged for some form of ID, while Buffy wandered away to case the place without anyone noticing. She didn't have an ID and she wouldn't be able to pass with one of theirs, being a girl and all their ID's were male. She decided to look around and see if she noticed anything odd while they talked to the pilot.

Dean and Sam decided to use a cover story of doing a school report on planes and how often they crashed. They didn't look old enough to be part of the government so that narrowed the options of ID's to use considerably. The guards seemed to buy it though, because they waved them in and pointed out a man that was watching the planes being maintained. He was tall, mid-30s, with sandy brown hair and he wore a suit and a tie like most of the people milling about. Dean glanced around, but Buffy was nowhere to be seen, so they went over to talk to the pilot.

"Hello, I'm Xander and this is my brother Oz. Can we ask you some questions sir?" Dean greeted the guy when they approached, saying the first names that came to mind.

"You're not police are you? I already told them all I know." He answered, crossing his arms and looking at them closely.

"No sir, we're not police," Sam told him, smiling to put the man at ease. "My brother and I are doing a report on planes and what causes mechanical failures that makes them crash. We read in the paper that you were flying a plane that went down just recently and we thought perhaps you could help us out?"

The guy seemed to relax very slightly at Sam's explanation, appraising them for a moment. Dean gave the guy a cheeky grin out of habit and Sam had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at his brother. "Alright, I suppose I could help. The plane I was flying was headed to San Diego with a couple passengers, and everything was fine until the alarms started going off," the guy explained, frowning at the memory. "When I crash-landed the mechanics said there was dust in the fuel pipes, how I don't know. I'm just glad no one was hurt."

"Did you happen to notice anything strange before the alarms went off?" Sam inquired as he glanced up from the notepad he was writing what the pilot said down on.

"I didn't, no, but some of the passengers claimed to hear noises or seeing something mess with the wings. Probably gremlins with my luck," the guy muttered and Dean looked sharply at him. "During World War II there were a lot of legends and superstitions about gremlins causing the planes to crash, my great-grandfather was in the war so I heard about them growing up. Haven't had any problems before though."

"Do you believe it was gremlins or do you think it was just regular mechanical failure?" Sam asked the man, watching him wearily. Citizens usually didn't know about the things that lurked in the dark like they did, and it was rare to find one who did. The guy shrugged in reply, and he met Dean's gaze. "Anything else you can think of?" Dean asked and the guy hesitated once more, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing around.

The guy seemed to think on whatever he wanted to say, determining whether to tell them or to let it be. "When I was flying I checked the altitude after the alerts started going off, we were over 1,000 feet above ground but I swear I thought I saw it much closer." He said finally, looking at the two young men before him. "That sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

Dean and Sam both shook their heads and with a reassuring smile, Sam told him "Not at all." The guy returned the smile but he still looked wary, as if he didn't believe they didn't think he was certifiably crazy. "Do you know any of the passenger's names? In case we have any questions?" Dean asked and the guy chewed on his cheek, thinking it over.

"I might, let me go see. Don't go anywhere." He walked off into another room and Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam before looking around for the absent Slayer.

"It sounds like he was right, but I can't say for sure until I do more research." Sam answered his brother's implied question, and then smiled warmly as the pilot re-emerged with a printout that he handed to him. Sam nodded his thanks and scanned the list of names, there were four total, and all were in California which would make talking to them easier. Then he realized that they hadn't caught the pilot's name and he looked back up as the man started off toward the plane hangar. "Sir, we didn't get your name," he called after him and the pilot turned.

"George Cooper, and if that's all I must get back to work. Good luck on your report." The pilot nodded to them in farewell and walked away and out of sight. Dean and Sam headed for the exit where they found Buffy sitting on the trunk of the Impala waiting for them.

"Where'd you run off to princess?" Dean asked when they reached her, giving her cheek a peck before climbing in, Sam and Buffy following suit. He drove off the airstrip and back towards the hotel, waiting for Sam to do his thing and look up the passengers on the list.

"I wanted to look around, see if anything set my spidey-senses off," she answered as she rolled down the window and rested her arm on the rest, the wind whipping the stray strands of golden hair that had escaped her braids around her face.

"Find anything?" Dean drummed his fingertips on the wheel and glanced back at Sam in the backseat who was typing away on the computer.

"Not really, did you?" She answered, turning to look at him then followed his gaze to Sam in the back, and she shifted around and spied the printout next to him. She picked it up and read the names, then lifted her gaze to meet Dean's. "Who are they?"

"Passengers that were on the flight, they claimed to hear noises and that something was messing with the wings. Pilot seemed to think it was gremlins and spun some story about World War II." Dean filled her in, and then raised a hand in triumph to point at Sam behind him. "See, I told you that plane crashes aren't natural!"

Sam snickered at his brother and Buffy giggled, leaning over to kiss his cheek and pat his shoulder, "Of course sweetheart."

"Sammy, where am I going here?" Dean asked after giving Buffy a smirk and catching the hand on his shoulder, he twisted it palm-up to press a kiss to her wrist.

"I'm working on it Dean," Sam sighed, "Okay there's a Jenna Kramer that lives here in L.A., not far from the hotel actually. A Diane Newbern and her son, and a Frank Pearson who lives a town over."

Dean thought about it, figuring which to go visit when Buffy chimed in with a suggestion. "Why don't we call them? See if they're even home before we waste time driving all the way out there." Dean inclined his head and made an acquiescing face, and she turned to look at Sam. "Can you get phone numbers?"

He nodded and went to work as Dean decided to stop and fill up on gas while he did so, pulling into a small Shell station. "If you gotta go, best do it now." He told them and Buffy climbed out to do just that. Once inside she grabbed a few drinks, sandwiches and a couple bags of chips in case they were as hungry as she. Buffy smiled and thanked the cashier, collected her purchases and headed back outside where Dean was pumping gas into the tank. She slipped an arm around him and rested her chin on his shoulder when she reached his side. He turned his head and tweaked her nose with his other hand, then tried to peek into her bag of purchases. Sam was a few feet away talking into Dean's cell and he snapped it shut a moment later, walking toward them.

"Ms. Kramer answered but said she has a class to teach until four, the other lady didn't answer but Frank said he'd talk to us if we go now." Sam summed up, accepting the sandwich Buffy handed him and unwrapping it to take a bite.

Dean bit into his own and nodded, "We'll go talk to this Frank guy do some research after that, and by the time we're done Ms. Kramer should be able to meet us somewhere to talk. If we're lucky we'll be able to take care of this tonight and be on the road tomorrow."

Buffy looked at Dean with a confused frown, "Sam said sunlight hurts them, how are we going to get rid of this thing at night?"

"With style and class," Dean said, grinning cheekily. "We'll just have to get creative is all. Move it you two, we're burning daylight." He tossed his empty sandwich wrapper into a nearby trash can and climbed into the driver's side, turning the car on. Buffy and Sam shared a look and he made a not-so-nice gesture in his brother's direction, making her giggle. They got in and Sam proceeded to tell her stories about some of their hunts and about a banshee that once had the hots for Dean, making her laugh some more. She was enjoying being with the guys and she felt herself smile and relax while she listened to them bicker.

About two hours later they exited Frank's place, a little discouraged that Frank didn't see or hear anything odd that would help their case. They drove in silence back to the hotel, mulling over their own private thoughts, the only sound coming from Sam as he typed.

"Well that was a total bust," Buffy grumped as she fell back on the bed once back in their room. Dean lay next to her and she cuddled up to him, laying her head on his chest while he stroked her hair, and she wrapped her arm around his waist, and yawned.

"Yeah, Frank didn't know jack squat. Maybe one of the others will though." Dean agreed and watched her yawn again. "Buffy why don't you get an hour or two of sleep? We'll wake you if we find anything." Dean offered and she nodded, yawned again and shifted into a more comfortable position beside him when Sam gave her a half-nod of agreement, immersed in research. Dean continued to stroke a hand through her hair until her breathing evened out and she drifted off to sleep.

Dean slipped out from her side once he was sure that she was asleep, going to sit on the dresser against the wall and began to clean his gun and load up on rounds. He was an equal distance from her in case he needed to wake her from another nightmare and from Sam.

"Dean what's going to happen after this case?" Sam asked, lowering his voice so as not to wake the sleeping Slayer.

"What do you mean Sammy?" He answered, still trying to figure that exact question out himself. What should he do about Buffy? He loved having her around but the longer she was with them, the farther she ran from her problems in Sunnydale. He knew what he had to do; he just didn't want to do it.

"You know what I mean," Sam sighed. He ignored the annoying nickname, aware that Dean was hoping to make him forego his questions. He glanced over at Buffy then at Dean, who was very interested in his gun and would not meet his eyes. "What should we do with her? Are we going to take her with us on another hunt?"

Dean didn't answer and Sam saw the pained expression in his eyes as he watched her brows furrow in her sleep. He stood and set his gun down, walked over to her and reached a hand out to caress her cheek gently. She quieted under his touch and relaxed again, her lips curving up in a soft smile. He watched her in silence, a tear slowly making its way down his cheek and to the floor as he realized what he had to do, hoping she would forgive him for it.

Sam watched his brother without a word and jumped when the phone rang, breaking the silence. He answered on the second ring before it woke Buffy and talked to the person on the other end, typed something and hung up when he finished. "Got something?" Dean asked, his voice sounded gruff to his own ears but Sam chose not to comment. If he also noticed the ragged look in his brother's eyes when Dean turned to look at him, he kept it to himself, merely nodded and wrote something on the notebook beside him on the table.

"That was Ms. Kramer, the teacher. She said she can meet us now at that diner we went to this morning, that she has to work a late shift in half an hour but would help us out before her shift starts." Sam stood and grabbed his shoulder bag, stuffing his notebook inside as Dean nodded and started for the door, grabbing his discarded jacket and gun out of habit. He glanced over at Buffy, debated waking her and decided to leave her be for now. If this lead panned out and they found something useful they'd just come back for her before hitting the airport. It'd also give him more time to think on the plan he'd begun to form that he didn't want her knowing about just yet.

"We're not going to wake her?" Sam asked, following Dean's gaze to the snoozing girl as she buried her nose in the pillow. Dean shook his head and led the way out the door and to the waiting Impala without another word, leaving Buffy and Sam in the room. Sam glanced from his brother's retreating back to Buffy before pulling out his notebook and scrawling a brief note for her, placing it on the bed-side table before following, closing the door gently. He didn't want her to freak when she woke to find them gone, so he'd written her a note saying they'd gone to talk to Ms. Kramer and would be back soon.

Sam was going to resume his questioning in the car but the expression in Dean's eyes and the fact that he had the music up loud stopped him. Something was going on in Dean's head that had to do with Buffy but his brother was clearly not about to let him in on what.

They found Ms. Kramer sitting at a booth eating a sandwich and drinking a cup of coffee. She was a pretty enough woman with her hair up in a messy bun, her waitress apron had her name stitched in red letters and she was wearing a touch of makeup. Her eyes were a warm blue and she smiled as they approached.

Sam held out his hand and she accepted it, her gaze roaming over him briefly before doing the same to Dean, a flirtatious smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Oz. We spoke on the phone a few minutes ago I think?"

She nodded and gestured for them to sit, swallowing a mouthful of her Rueben sandwich before speaking. "Yes, I believe we did. Please sit, would you like anything to eat or drink? The food here is pretty good." She offered, touching her napkin to her mouth as they took her suggestion, sliding into the booth opposite her.

"No thanks, we're good. This is my brother Xander," Sam said with a smile, indicating his brother with a nod and giving the names Dean had used that morning with the pilot. Dean smiled back with less than his usual enthusiasm but she didn't seem to notice because she winked at him.

"What can I help you boys with?" She asked, smiling a little more suggestively at Dean.

"We're doing a report on plane crashes and a pilot we spoke to this morning, a Mr. Cooper gave us your name as one of the passengers of a flight that went down last week. Do you think you could tell us about it?" Dean asked, letting a third of his charm leak into his smile at the waitress.

"I suppose I can do that, yeah." She took a sip of her coffee, and Sam pulled out his notebook and a pen to write down what she said.

"We were told that the plane went down because of mechanical problems," Dean started, resting his arms on the table to lean forward intently. "Do you agree with that or do you think something else may have caused it?"

She seemed to think over it in the same way as the pilot had that morning, "I heard the pilot say something along those lines I believe." She answered, fiddling with her cup before taking another sip.

"Did you happen to see or hear anything unusual during the flight Ms. Kramer?" Sam asked, glancing up from his notebook.

"Please, call me Jenna. No need for formalities," she purred, winking at Dean who just gave her another smile. "I'm not sure what you mean by unusual though."

"The, uh, pilot mentioned that there was a passenger that claimed to hear noises or saw something messing with the wings?" Sam elaborated, flipping back a page to repeat what the pilot told them.

She turned her full attention on him at that, a thoughtful look replacing the flirty one she'd been aiming Dean's way. "My friend Diane's son Malcolm said something like that I think, but I didn't take him seriously, he's just a kid. Have you tried talking to her or him yet?" She asked finally, lifting her sandwich and taking a bite.

"Actually no, we weren't able to reach her. But thank you so much for talking to us; I think we have everything we need, unless you know of anything else?" Sam asked as he got back to his feet and slipped his notebook back into his bag.

She thought a moment and shook her head, giving him another smile. "Nope, nothing comes to mind sorry. Good luck on the report though." She shook his hand again and Sam turned back to Dean who was still sitting in the booth, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"You go ahead, I'll be there in a sec," Dean told his brother, wanting to put part of his plan into effect. Sam gave him a puzzled look but obeyed and Dean waited till he was out of earshot before he turned back to Jenna. "I've got a favor maybe you can help me with," he confided with a charming smile and she nodded and listened to what he had to say.

**A/N: What favor did Dean ask for? Find out in the next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Tough love**

**_A/N: Okay the characters are still not mine sadly, all I own is my Twizzler obsession and collection of Buffy Dvd's :) Please don't hate me for how this chapter ends and keep in mind that there's still 2 more! _**__

_**A/N2: Oh I almost forgot, all the info in this chapter about gremlins I found on various websites, even the bit about World War II in chapter 11 except that they talked. I don't actually know if they did or not but for my own purposes this one does. K? Kay!**_

Buffy woke to an empty hotel room then spotted the note on the bed-side table written by Sam she assumed, because Dean's handwriting was a bit different. She relaxed when she read what it said and headed for the restroom to use the facilities and fix her appearance if needed. She hadn't had a nightmare, least not that she could remember, and she felt her body getting twitchy with anticipation of dealing with the gremlin and getting to slay something.

When she came out of the bathroom, the door to the hotel room opened and the boys entered, bickering about something like usual. She smiled at them in greeting and they smiled back, abandoning their argument for the moment. Sam started to do some final researching, wanting to be prepared for anything while Dean looked her over.

"Feel better princess?" He asked and she noticed his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but she wasn't given time to ponder it because he chose that moment to grab her and kiss her senseless.

"Yep, definitely of the good," she chirped once she could think again, let alone form words coherently. "Find out anything?" She asked, taking a step over to Sam who waved her over to read what he was looking at. Dean went into the bathroom while Sam filled her in, and when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror over the sink he sighed. Tonight he'd enjoy what time he could with her but tomorrow he'd have to tell her the truth about what he'd decided and he was seriously dreading it.

"Is Dean okay?" Buffy asked Sam, the way he'd forced a smile coming back into her thoughts. He nodded and patted her hand reassuringly and she smiled back at him.

"So what do we know about gremlins?" Dean announced as he came back into the room and walked toward them, slipping his arms around Buffy's waist and breathing in the scent of vanilla. She rested one arm on his and the other she rose to cradle the back of his neck. She made the decision she'd pull him aside once the case was done, find out what was going on in that head of his.

"Basically that they like messing with airplanes, they're not evil just, you know, mischievous. They aren't usually seen by adults but this site here says that they're unpredictable and that they're attracted to arrogance. Huh, they'll love you Dean!" Sam cracked and Dean threw him a dirty look while Buffy giggled. "There's some mention of them being telepathic but that's all I could find," he finished and leaned back in his chair to look at them.

"Wonderful, a telepathic little troll. Alright, suit up. We'll hit the place now, take out the sucker." Dean decided and they all prepared for the battle, grabbing weapons.

"How are we going to kill it?" Sam asked as he watched Dean check his gun and slipping his own into the waistband of his jeans. Buffy strapped a couple knives to her arms and grabbed a small hand-axe, testing the edge and smiling grimly when it cut her thumb.

"Well since sunrise isn't for quite a while, I'll just have to slice and dice," Buffy answered, going over her ax with a critical eye. Not many things could survive without a head, and well if that didn't work, she'd think of something else.

They rode in silence, the music playing some song she didn't recognize. Buffy let her mind wander back to Sunnydale and her friends, then to Giles and her mother. She wondered how they were getting along without her, and she missed them. She started to imagine alternate scenarios where she'd go home and they'd greet her like she hadn't been gone, or that she hadn't killed Angel. She wondered how different things would be if the curse hadn't worked, would she still feel so hurt? Or even if it had but Acathla hadn't been activated, where would she and Angel be then? And where would that leave her and Dean? She knew she'd have to go back home eventually, but she wasn't ready yet, and she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever be, or if she'd just continue to hurt.

Dean was lost in thoughts of his own, all of them involving the girl who'd taken over his life, or at least that's what it felt like. Never before had a girl come to mean so much to him, enough to make him lie to his father at the very least. He'd talked to Jenna about getting Buffy a job at the diner, and had a contact near there he was going to get in touch with about an apartment. She wasn't going to like it, he knew that without a doubt, but there weren't any other options, not ones he'd consider anyway. Even if this particular one made him want to punch his reflection in every mirror surface he passed. No, this was the best thing for all of them; he rationalized with a resigned sigh.

Buffy heard the sigh and glanced over at Dean but didn't comment or question him because they'd just pulled up to the airport that moment and got out after shutting off the car. Buffy and Sam followed with their weapons, looking around cautiously for the creature. The thought occurred to her that she had no idea what a gremlin looked like, and doubted it looked anything like the one Dean kept referring to as Gizmo. She heard skittering and what sounded like high-pitched laughter and she crept closer to the plane, her grip tightening on her ax.

Turning a corner around a plane she saw something she'd never be able to forget: it was small, maybe 10 inches in height with green skin and big ears. Its hands and feet stuck to the plane as it climbed up the side and out of sight again. "What the hell was that?" Dean grunted, looking around for the creature. They heard movement again and Dean felt the thing's eyes on him as he tried to locate it.

"That'd be the gremlin," Sam answered and it giggled again. "Hello? Do you speak?" Sam called out to the gremlin.

"The human speaks, he talks to us," the squeaky replied in a sing-song voice. Dean and Buffy shared a look and moved closer to the voice. "Can you tell us why you messed with the plane? It was you, wasn't it?" Sam asked again, trying to determine where the creature was exactly.

"Pilot thought he was crazy, trees in the clouds, dust in the gears. Child sees us though it did." The gremlin answered, reading their minds and watching them look for him.

"Do you have a name?" Buffy called out, adopting a different tack. She heard the gremlin giggle again and it popped up to look at them with wide eyes.

"All things have names, girl who slays. Did the stone demon tell you its name, whisper its secrets before it gobbled the Angel up?" The thing answered, and Buffy scowled. The gremlin turned its gaze to Dean, blinking eerily.

"Darkness in your heart, a light that's not shining, always alone, death follows you." Dean rolled his eyes and took a step closer, tightening his grip on his gun.

"You could've killed those people and you're playing riddle-me-this with us? You know why we're here," Dean told the gremlin who gave him a toothy grin.

"We know, yes we know. Hunters and Slayer come to vanquish evil, but there is no evil here, go home." It replied and Dean shook his head, raising his gun and aiming it at the creature.

"Can't do that I'm afraid," Dean said and pulled the trigger but the gremlin snarled, ducking out of sight. He swore and looked around again to find where it had gone. Suddenly a chair was hurtling toward him and he ducked, rolling out of the way. When he didn't hear it hit the floor he glanced around, finding nothing. "What the hell Sam?" He yelled as he saw Sam dodge a tool that disappeared in much the same way.

"I think Dad wrote something about them being able to create illusions," he yelled back at Dean from his crouch behind a wheel.

"Course they can," Dean grumbled and looked around frantically for Buffy. He saw her grappling with the gremlin, dodging its hands and feet before finally seeing an opening she pivoted, separating its head from its body. The gremlin fell to the ground and Dean went closer to inspect it, Sam right behind him. "Is it dead?"

Sam shrugged and Buffy crouched next to it, seeing that it had suction-like pods on its hands and feet, which explained the whole walking-on-the-plane thing. "I guess so. Why you want to poke it with a stick?" Dean nodded and Sam rolled his eyes. "You're not poking it with a stick!"

Buffy looked at them and smirked, "Well that was easy!" She quipped and they both rolled their eyes at her, Dean ruffled her hair affectionately. They watched Buffy pick up a tarp nearby and helped her roll the gremlin's body in it and carried it to a dumpster, head included. They walked back to the car, Dean taking Buffy's hand while Sam walked ahead of them.

The next morning Buffy woke up alone again until she saw Sam packing his bag a few feet away. She was about to ask him where Dean was when the door opened and the Winchester in question entered, slipping his cell into his jacket pocket. She smiled at him but the one he gave her was tight, and he looked at Sam, jerking his thumb in the direction of the door. "Go take a walk; I need to talk to Buffy for a minute alone." Sam glanced at him but obliged without an argument, closing the door behind him.

Buffy sat up in the bed and watched him shuffle uncertainly, looking at the floor. He came closer but stopped just short of touching her, and he placed a set of keys on the table next to the bed. She looked at them, then at him again, confused.

"The diner needs another waitress, you start tomorrow at 3." Dean said quietly, not meeting her gaze and struggling to keep his voice even.

"I don't understand," she answered, her mind not processing what he was saying. "I'm staying here?"

"Yeah."

"But…Why?" Dean still wouldn't look at her so she stared at the keys, trying to kick her brain into gear through the numbness that had settled over it. "Why?" She asked again, and he cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at her.

"Buffy…" He started, unsure how to voice the reasons he'd come to realize that supported his decision, "We can't just take you with us."

"Yes you can," she insisted and he shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know how long we'll be gone after we leave here or even where we're going. I don't know when we'll be able to go back to Sunnydale. And they need you, Buffy. It's too dangerous if you come with us." He reasoned, trying to make her understand.

"I'm The Slayer!" She protested, jumping out of the bed and to her feet, glaring at him with her fists clenched.

"I don't care if you're the damned pope! You're not going." He argued back, crossing his arms stubbornly and meeting her glare with one of his own.

"What are the keys for?" She demanded, picking them up and looking at them, still bristling angrily.

"A friend of my dad's has an apartment near the diner that you can use. I already talked to him and arranged everything." He told her and she gripped the keys tightly in her fist, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "The rent's paid up for the next 4 months."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, cursing her voice for shaking, cursing him for doing this to her. She needed him! Didn't he see that? She threw the keys at the wall and saw them dent it from the force of her throw.

"Buffy," he started again, taking a step closer to peer into her eyes. He reached for her chin and she looked into his green eyes, the pain in them only making her angrier. "You and I both know you can't run from your issues back home, you need to go back and make it right."

Her chin started to quiver in his palm with suppressed tears, "Please don't go." She pleaded with him in a whisper and his eyes closed with pain.

He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I have to princess. It's the only way. If I could take you with me I would."

"But you can!" she insisted, knowing it was futile, tears staring to fall and he winced as he watched them.

"It wouldn't be right, you need to get everything straightened out up here," he kissed her forehead again as he spoke, "and in here." He touched a hand to her chest where her heart beat beneath his palm. "Once you do and are ready to go home, call me and we'll take you."

She shook her head this time and stepped back, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, "Don't bother, I can find my own way home." She felt bitterness and anger rise up in her and she turned her back on him. "Just go, please just go."

He hesitated and she fled to the bathroom, locking the door to prevent him from following as he made to stop her. Once inside the safety of the bathroom she slid to the floor, her back pressed against the door that blocked him from her, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them tightly.

Dean let his forehead rest against the cold bathroom door, his arms braced against the frame on either side of the doorway. He hated himself for doing this to her and wanted so badly to kick the door for daring to come between them.

"I'm sorry Buffy, please forgive me." He whispered, hoping she heard him through the door with her enhanced hearing. When she made no effort to open the door he pushed off the wall, turned and grabbed his bag and forced himself to walk to the exit. He stopped when his hand touched the doorknob, whispered three words over his shoulder and walked out, closing the door behind him. It took all the strength he possessed to not turn back around and kick the door down and beg her forgiveness.

By the time Buffy realized what he'd said and came out of the bathroom he was already climbing into the Impala, his back to her. She watched him pull out of the parking lot and onto the highway and out of sight, tears streaming freely down her face. She had no way of knowing that Dean was crying too, hoping she wouldn't hate him for what he'd just done.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: All's well that ends well**

**A/N: Nope, characters still aren't mine. But here's some smoochies and smutty goodness!**

Buffy loaded napkins into the dispenser at work, her mind wandering to Sunnydale and to Ricky and Lilly; she wondered how Lilly was managing and what she was doing now. She didn't even hear the bell above the door chime as it opened or pay any mind to the person who approached the bar until she heard that voice. The voice she heard in her dreams, the voice that belonged to the person she'd watched drive out of sight, breaking her heart again only a few months before, the voice that still made her heart race.

"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger with extra onions, and you got any pie?" Dean asked and Buffy jerked her head up sharply, her breath catching at the wary smile he gave her. "Hey princess," he said softly, and she was torn between wanting to do twenty things at once ranging from crying, yelling, grabbing him in a hug and kissing him senseless or smacking him one.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" She whispered finally, setting the dispenser down on the counter.

"Well I was in the neighborhood," he answered with a nonchalant shrug to which she just raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Okay so I wasn't. But hey, I'm here now. Happy to see me?" He searched her eyes for any lingering hostility she harbored toward him for the way things had gone down the last time he'd been in L.A. He and Sam had gone on a few hunts with their dad and he'd decided to come back to check on her. She didn't know it, but the friend who'd let her stay in her apartment was keeping tabs on her for him and had called Dean only a few days ago. He'd worried when he heard about her getting mixed up with some girl named Lilly and had practically burned rubber trying to get back to make sure she was alright. At first he hadn't intended to let her know he was in town, but as he watched her at work and in her apartment, he said to hell with undercover and couldn't bear to stay away from her any longer.

"Yeah, I am." She answered his question, bringing him back to the present. She glanced behind him, no doubt looking for Sam and turned her mossy green eyes back to his.

"Sam's at the hotel; he said he'd see you later." Dean explained, reaching out to toy with the salt shakers. He was trying to decide on the best way to broach the subject that had resulted in him leaving her here in L.A.

"Oh, okay. How long are you guys in town?" She asked, putting the napkins below the counter, anything to tear her gaze away from the one person she wanted to kiss senseless and forget all the reasons why she should hate him. She struggled to make her voice even, to not betray the emotions she felt at him being so close to her.

"Not sure yet. When do you get off?" He sat back in the stool, watching her busy herself to avoid looking at him. At his question she glanced up at the clock on the wall, then smiled and pulled off her apron, folded it and set it on a shelf below the counter.

"Five minutes ago," she smiled and smoothed her hair, then grabbed her coat and purse. She walked out from behind the bar, and he stood as she approached. He looked about an inch taller and a little more rugged, she noticed as they headed for the door of the diner. He held it open and gave her a once-over of his own, seeing that there was more color to her face now and that the numbness that had started to seep in after Sunnydale was starting to fade. He didn't miss that the name on her uniform said 'Anne' instead of her own. But that made sense though, she'd gone to L.A. to escape in the first place, it seemed only natural that she was using an alternate name.

Her apartment was just around the corner so they walked the short distance, their hands hanging at their sides and just barely avoided brushing against each other. She unlocked her door and went in, and Dean followed. The place was pretty simple, and he looked around while she went to change out of her uniform and into more comfortable clothing. He walked toward her bedroom just as she pulled open the door and his eyes roamed over her jeans and v-neck gray tee. God he wanted to kiss her right then, bury his hands in her hair and never let go. He had to stuff them into his jacket pockets to keep them from obeying his lustful whims.

"So…" he started, chewing on his cheek as he rocked on his heels. "Are you still mad at me?" He asked finally, studying her carefully when she met his gaze and crossed her arms, looking for any sign that she was or wasn't. Finally she shook her head no and he allowed himself to relax very slightly. He took a hand out of his pocket and hooked a finger in the waistband of her jeans then gave a sharp tug, pulling her flush against him. She splayed her hands on his chest and he caught her mouth in a hungry kiss, darting his tongue out to taste her lower lip until she parted them with an eager murmur.

She kissed him back with equal force and hunger, curling her arms around his neck and holding onto him when her legs started to tremble. When they both came back up for air she whispered, "I missed you."

He touched his forehead to hers, brushing her hair away from her face and trailing his fingers over her neck. He was desperate to feel her skin after months of agonizing over how he'd mangled things before and hoping she'd forgive him for leaving her behind. "I missed you more," he breathed, him mouth quirking up in an ironic smile at the truth of that statement.

"Nope, not possible," she shook her head and played with a lock of his hair and he gave her a challenging smirk and tugged on her own.

"Care to bet on that? I'm pretty sure you'll lose." He teased, the husky tone of his voice making shivers curl up her spine.

Instead of answering she attacked his mouth with another kiss, her nails digging into the nape of his neck. She felt him seize her waist and she leapt up lightly to wrap her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. He put his own under her for support and walked her backwards to her unmade bed, making up for lost time his only intention. She yanked at his shirt, tossing it over his head and not caring where it landed. She crossed her arms and pulled off her own, breaking the kiss and tossing it on the floor with his as they lost themselves in each other.

They laid in silence that way as their breathing returned to normal, both sweating a little from the exertion. She turned her head, resting her chin on his chest to look at him and he smiled and brushed her hair back tenderly.

"I think we're tied on the miss-age," she said once she got her breath back and his chest rumbled as he chuckled.

"Not even close, princess," he answered and pulled her in for another kiss.

When she woke the next day her body ached in a pleasant way and she wore a blissful smile when she recalled what was making her muscles protest. She saw Dean sleeping beside her, his hair mussed from the pillow and his arm thrown across his face while the other curled around her, clutching her to him. She contemplated waking him by carnal means when he groaned and raised his arm, his eyes fluttering open. They glanced around the room briefly before resting on her and he gave her a groggy smile. They'd definitely worn each other out the night before making up for all the lost time and he was really feeling it, but he didn't give a damn. He was too relieved that she wasn't mad at him anymore that nothing else mattered. Suddenly he paled, feeling his body go numb when he remembered the three words he'd whispered before walking out the door that fateful day and he wondered if she'd heard them.

"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing the way he paled and furrowing her brow in concern.

"I...uh..." he hesitated, unsure how to say what he wanted to without ruining everything. "I forgot about Sammy," he fibbed, losing his nerve. He cursed himself for being such a coward and he could tell that she didn't believe a word of it.

"Oh. Well, let's get dressed then, I'd like to see him." She said and they disentangled from each other and the sheets that were twisted around their bodies. Once she stood, she heard him take a sharp breath and she turned to find him staring at her, his eyes darkening with desire. Before she could say anything he grabbed her, pulling her close until she was lying on top of him again, her body pressed against his.

"Dean we have to go check on Sam," she giggled as his hands traveled over her curves and he groaned in disappointment.

"Do we have to?" He whined, kissing her neck and making her shiver. When she put her hand on his lips he made a face at her, making her giggle again. "Stupid little brothers, ruining everything," he grumbled but released her so she could grab her clothes.

She collected her clothing from the night before and pulled them on while he did the same, and he waited while she paid a brief trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair and makeup. When she emerged, she grabbed her jacket, purse and keys and followed Dean and he joined her with his arm slung around her waist as they walked back to the diner and the waiting Impala. He opened the passenger door for her and she kissed him before climbing in. As he slid across the hood he wondered what the heck had come over him, since when did Dean Winchester open doors for anyone? But when he saw her happy smile he forgot all about it and started the car.

He pulled up at the hotel a moment later and opened the door of the room, Buffy at his back. No sooner did she step inside was she seized in a powerful hug by Sam, picking her up off the floor in his enthusiasm. He had definitely gotten taller since she'd last seen him and she hugged him back just as tight. He spun her around in a circle and she laughed; she'd missed him so much that she forgot about her Slayer strength.

"Buffy, sweetheart, he's turning red," Dean spoke up, watching the pair with his own smile and she laughed and released him, grinning up at Sam happily.

"God, I missed you!" Sam gushed, taking her hand and pulling her toward the bed where they sat and caught up, forgetting about Dean and the fact that they hadn't seen each other in months. Sam told her about the cases they'd gone on and she told them about Ricky and Lily.

"Well, if you two girls are done yakking, I'm starving." Dean said finally with an indulgent smile at them. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, and nothing could've ruined it. He heard Buffy's stomach rumble loudly in agreement and she blushed when they both laughed. They decided to go and grab some lunch and Sam threw an arm around her shoulders companionably as they walked to the car, Dean following with a silly grin and for once not feeling remotely jealous. He loved Buffy, and Sam had developed a connection with her too and it felt like he was finally home.

After they ate they sat in the booth and Buffy toyed with her straw, immersed in her own thoughts. She felt like she was finally ready to go back to Sunnydale now but she was terrified at the same time. What if her mom didn't want her to come back? What if Giles was furious with her for abandoning her post? Would her friends understand? What if they asked about Angel?

Dean watched Buffy with concern and reached a hand out to touch her cheek with his knuckle, jolting her from her reverie. She raised her gaze to meet his and he saw the emotions and worries swirling in her green eyes. Sam noticed too and excused himself to go put music on, giving them some privacy so they could talk alone. "What's up?"

"I'm afraid, Dean." She answered, and he waited for her to explain, "What if they're mad at me?"

"Your mom?" He guessed.

"My mom, Giles, Xander, Willow, Oz, all of them. I didn't even say goodbye." She confided, her lip trembling with worry.

"Hey, listen to me alright?" He said softly and she met his gaze, "They know something happened and I'm sure they'll understand when you talk to them. They're more than just your friends Buffy, they're your family."

She tried to smile but she couldn't so he joked teasingly, "I could kick their asses if you want?" He didn't mean it of course, but he was trying to get a smile out of her and he succeeded. "Seriously, I can take the Watcher like that," he snapped his fingers and was rewarded with a choked laugh.

She met his gaze and clasped his hand, squeezing it tightly, "Thanks Dean."

"Eh, it's what I'm here for." He answered, shrugging it off and studying her for a moment. "You ready to go back then?"

She nodded and he got to his feet, still holding her hand in his. He whistled for Sam who was watching them from the jukebox, concerned for his friend. His eyes met Buffy's and she nodded in answer to the question she saw in them. Dean left a tip on the table and watched as Sam picked Buffy up on his back and carried the giggling Slayer outside, chasing all the worries from her mind.

They made it to Sunnydale by nightfall, telling her stories about their hunts and their prank war to keep her from obsessing as they got closer to the city limits. When Dean asked where she wanted him to go, she gulped and told him to take her home to her mom's. Sam leaned forward in the backseat to place a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and Dean squeezed her hand in assurance.

She smiled at them in thanks and tried to calm her nerves as they got closer to her house. When the Impala pulled up, she saw that the lights were on downstairs and she let out a shaky breath. She stared up at the house, biting her lip until she heard Dean clear his throat.

"Are you guys staying?" She asked when she looked at him and he grimaced.

"We can't actually, got a case to look into. But I'll tell you what," he offered when he saw the fear enter her eyes. "We'll get a room in town and if you need us, call. Deal?" She nodded and blew out a breath before grabbing her bag and reaching for the door. They both got out with her and leaned against the car, leaving her to take the long walk up the drive and to the porch. She turned back to look at them and Dean gave her an encouraging nod while Sam smiled. She nibbled on her thumb uncertainly and took one more deep breath before she pressed the doorbell. She let it out when the door was pulled open and she was face to face with her mother. "Hi mom."


End file.
